Bunny Rabbit Pajamas
by Soap Be Pimpin
Summary: Naraku somehow lures Souta into the feudal era while Inuyasha is in his human state. Kagome, desparate to save him endangers herself in the process. She is 'rescued' by a certain youkai prince...
1. Bait

Disclaimer: The characters in Inuyasha do not belong to me, I don't own them, yadda yadda yadda, I'm just using them….blah blah blah. Am I done yet?

***

Kagome Higurashi fell to the ground, catching her breath. She could feel the gathering ache in her feet from the long distance walking that she did on a daily basis. Her bag slid from her shoulders awkwardly as she turned her head towards the sound of approaching footsteps

"Kagome, are you well?" Sango asked.

The girl smiled up at her friend. "Fine, really. I suppose I'm just glad to be back in the village. My legs really hurt from all the walking we did today."

Hai. That is understandable." Sango smiled as she watched Shippou tackled Kagome from behind. The miko grabbed the small kitsune and giggled. She started to stand up, after casting a suspicious glance around for any lecherous monks that happened to be hoping for a glance up her skirt. She didn't see anything, but to be safe, she tugged her skirt down as she stood up. 

"I suppose I should be going to tell Inuyasha that I'm leaving for the week." Kagome sighed. 

"Aww, Kagome…do you _have_ to go?" Shippou whined.

"Gomen, Shippou, but I have 3 tests this week in school, and I still haven't gotten around to studying for them." Kagome said, gathering her backpack and beginning to walk away. 

*

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called up into a tall oak tree. A small whoosh reached her ears as he was beside her. "I'm leaving for the week." The miko held her breath, waiting for his outburst.

Inuyasha frowned at this. He didn't like when he had to wait for her, but he knew that the night of the new moon was approaching, and he didn't want to exhibit any of his embarrassing human behavior to her. "Okay." He said reluctantly.

Kagome smiled at the hanyou, slightly surprised, but very happy they hadn't gotten in a fight over her leaving. She shifted her yellow backpack on her shoulders, and said a quick goodbye to Inuyasha. She ran off to say goodbye to the others, as Inuyasha returned to his tree, watching her from the foliage. 

* 

Kagome collapsed on her bed, smiling at the softness. Only one thought crossed her mind at a time like this…Bath. Kagome hummed cheerfully as she prepared the hot water and sank into the liquid pleasure. Sighing, she sunk down deeper. A whole week of not traveling with Inuyasha. It was a relief to be off her feet and in her own time, but there were still many pressures facing her here. Three major tests in her hardest classes. How was she _ever_ going to pull this off? "Maybe I should just give up school," she thought aloud, "I'll fail anyway." Kagome grabbed the soap. "I better not think about it," Kagome resolved, trying to push away over exaggerated images of her, homeless and dirty on the street because of a lack of an education. Reaching over to pick up the shampoo, Kagome's thoughts drifted back into the Sengoku Jidai. Naraku had not stricken in a long time, telling Kagome that he was most likely weaving a new trap for her and her friends. The miko desperately wished there was something she could do about it, but at the moment there was nothing. 

She sighed again, standing up and quickly snatching a towel to wrap around her body. She went into her room, and put on some clean pajamas. "Ahh…." She sighed, "nothing like the soft kiss of cotton." Giggling at her sudden eloquence, she reached for her bag, sifting through it to find her hairbrush. Frowning, she reached her hand in deeper, searching for it. Finally she gave up, dumping out the entire bagGiving up, she dumped out the entire bag, sending all the contents scattered around the room. "Where is it?" She asked aloud. Bringing her finger to her mouth, she bit her fingernail, closing her eyes in concentration. "I must have left it in the Feudal Era," she conceded. 

The color left her face as she recalled the day that Souta had given her the brush. It was her birthday, and even though it was a special day, she had decided upon sharing half of her day in the Sengoku Jidai. Souta had run up to her as she was about to jump in the well. Blushing he pushed the package into her hands. "Here Kagome, I got this so you wouldn't forget me in the Feudal Era." He looked down at his feet. "Its nothing special, so you don't have to keep it or anything," he muttered. "Open it later, okay?" He ran out of the well house, leaving a smiling Kagome behind. Despite the fact that he acted like a know-it-all from time to time, he really was adorable. 

*

"What have you found, Kojiki?" 

A hand extended from the shadows, revealing a brush. The back was elaborately decorated in blue and white, and on the handle there was a gold inscription. "To Kagome, From Souta" it said in neat, evenly spaced letters. "A brush, master Naraku," the owner of the hand said. "I listened in to her conversation with the demon exterminator. It seems that it is a very meaningful object to the girl. It was given to her by her little brother."

An twisted smile appeared on Naraku's face. There was no better way to destroy the miko and Inuyasha: to lure the miko into his own trap. He needed the bait first, of course. 

"Kojiki." He barked. "I believe you know what to do. Tonight, on the night of the new moon, you shall work your magic." 

"Yes, master Naraku."

*

Kagome tried to recall where she last left the brush. A thought struck her. "Maybe I left it by that spring when I was bathing with Sango. I bet she picked it up and forgot to give it back." A little bit of color returned to the girl's face. 

"Kagome!" A voice called from downstairs. "Dinner!" 

The miko smiled slightly and bounded down the stairs, deciding not to tell Souta that she might have lost the brush. 

*

Kojiki stared at the brush. He had never seen one made quite so nicely. The characters in the engraving were perfect, something that only a skilled craftsman could do. He ran his gnarled hands over the gold letters _Kagome_, then did the same with the name _Souta_. He could see his reflection in the gold. An old face surrounded by rough, ugly black hair. Where had his youth gone? His appearance had never really mattered much to him, he was too preoccupied most of the time on how he could acquire more power. He pulled the hair from the brush, black, silky hair, so much softer than his own. The strands were thick and strong, he observed as he twisted them through his fingers. He untangled the clump he was holding using the brush and tied it into a smooth knot that he stuffed into his pocket. He would use it later. 

* 

Kagome pulled the curtain away from the window as she tipped back in her chair to observe the beautiful sky. It was a rainbow of colors, highlighted by the gold edged clouds and the setting sun, peeking out from the houses and trees that crowded the landscape. Sighing, she resumed her studying, only to be distracted by the time. It was getting late, and she was very tired. Slamming her books shut, Kagome decided to call it a night. _I still have tomorrow to study_, Kagome thought to herself. She flipped off her light, and darkness consumed her room. By the time she had settled into bed, the sun had long sunk into the horizon. Kagome breathed in deeply the smell of her own home. 

Soon she dozed off, trying not to think about the homework and studying that she had to look forward to tomorrow. 

However, Kagome awoke to sounds of footsteps creaking outside her door. Always being a light sleeper, the girl sat up slowly, straining her ears to hear the small noises that were coming from 

outside her room. Hearing the footsteps go down the stairs and through the front room, Kagome wondered who it was. Surely someone wasn't getting a midnight snack? 

The miko heard the shutting of the front door, and she stood up, pulling back the curtains so she could see who had left the house. A glowing figure made its way to the part of the Higurashi shrine where the well was located. Kagome blinked a few times, wondering if her tired eyes were playing tricks on her. She examined the silhouette of the figure, only to realize that it looked like her little brother. Seeing him enter the well house almost in a trance, Kagome grabbed a robe and dashed out of her room. _Is Souta sleepwalking?_ Kagome asked herself as she went down the stairs as quietly as she could. She ran out the front door, wincing as her feet came in contact with the cold wet grass. 

Kagome entered the shack that housed the well, searching for her brother. Gulping, she looked down into the well. Empty. _Had he crossed into the feudal era? _Kagome wondered. Running outside and casting a quick glance around, she decided that he must have. _But how? Am I just imagining things?_ Kagome glanced back down into the well, sitting on the side and swinging her legs over. She held her breath and jumped, knowing that her fall would be cushioned by the familiar magic of the well. 

Crawling out of the well on the other side, Kagome searched the area around her_. Why is it so dark?_ Suddenly a glimpse of light caught her eye. _Souta?! He really is here!_

"Souta!" She called out. 

The little boy turned towards her, eyes fearful. Suddenly Kagome saw something she hadn't seen before because of the enveloping darkness. Silver fur of a baboon. One of Naraku's puppets, holding Souta's shoulders as he reached for her. Kagome gasped, and began walking toward her little brother.

"Not so fast miko." The smooth voice of Naraku cut into Kagome's sleepy mind, like a sharp kitchen knife. "Your dear little brother is to come with me, and you will have to come and get him yourself. I daresay you will not succeed in retrieving him, however. Without your Inuyasha, you are helpless and unable to retrieve your _beloved_ brother." Kagome winced.

"Naraku, why must you bring my brother into this? He never did anything to you!" 

Naraku's voice turned scornful. "He has to pay for what you have done to me." With those resonating words, he began to disappear into the darkness. Kagome stood where she was, torn. Should she go get Inuyasha in the village, or chase after him? Suddenly Kagome realized why it was so dark. It was the night of the new moon. Inuyasha was a mere human, and by the time she got to the village, it would be hopeless to retrieve Souta. She began running in the direction of Naraku. The practical side of her mind screamed at her. _Even if you do catch up with Naraku, what will you do? You have no weapons. _Kagome tried to ignore the pragmatic reasoning. _It doesn't matter. I have to reach Souta, to let him know that I'm there. _

*

Kojiki wrapped the hair around the brush, chanting. He used his thumb to stroke the strands until they were smooth. He closed his eyes in concentration, conjuring an image of a silhouetted boy. He pulled one of the strands, chanting slightly louder, and tried to reach the girl's mind, to make her go wild with protectiveness. He pulled on the strand harder, and chanted even louder, rocking back and forth in his cross-legged position. He began to sweat, and the drops of sweat fell on the brush and hair.

*

Kagome began seeing red. What did she see up ahead? Was that….her brother? Was that Souta?! Kagome's mind went foggy as she began to see images of her brother in front of her. The miko ran faster, trying to catch up. _Why are you running so fast, Souta? I'm coming to help you…to save you!_ She breathed faster, panting with every step she took with her bare feet. 

*

In a tree, a still figure lifted his head for a second, sniffing the air silently. He began to hear pounding footsteps. He could smell sweat and blood all surrounded by a strong sense of magic. A demon? He jumped down from the tree, tracing the scent. Suddenly he saw a figure running through the woods. _Not very fast_, he noted. Getting a better view, he noticed the figure was a dirty, barefooted human. He moved closer, tailing her silently. It seemed she was under the effect of some spell. He observed the black hair and strange clothes, and suddenly he realized that it was the girl that followed his brother around. Suddenly he sprang from his position, and pinned her to a tree. 

Kagome knew something was wrong when she was literally ripped off her center of balance and slammed against something hard. Correction…something very hard. Her head pounded in pain and her vision swam. She tried to clear her head as she kept her eyes squeezed shut. However, she could still feel something pulling at her mind. The image of Souta reappeared in front of her. The pragmatic side of her struggled to reason, but it was suppressed. Kagome barely noticed the claws on her, holding her up to the tree.

__

I have to get to him…to save him… Kagome tried to catch her breath. The image of Souta pulsated in time with her throbbing head. 

"N-No. Souta!" Kagome gasped, using a burst of her own miko energy to free herself, and began running towards the image again, her mind clouded. She ran faster, and faster, finding some sort of rhythm in her steps. She reached out a hand. _I'm so close to him_…_ if only I could reach…_

Kagome pushed off with her bottom foot, springing forward to try to get closer. However, the image disappeared, and suddenly Kagome's mind cleared. Something was horrible wrong. Where she should be was on the ground after jumping after her little brother like that. The miko gasped, opening her eyes.

There was nothing below her.

Kagome screamed, combining the fear and the realization that she had jump off a cliff of her own will. She closed her eyes again, preparing for life-ending impact. Amazingly, she felt a strange feeling in her stomach, like she had changed directions, and she was suddenly conscious of something warm beneath her. An arm? Kagome opened her eyes, her body still trembling from fear and shock. Golden eyes scowled at her, sending a shiver up her spine and down her arms.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome gulped. 

*

Suddenly all color drained from her face as she realized that HE had been the one who had slammed her against the tree. And then she had used her miko energy to hurt him…And he was probably ticked off….No, based on the look in his eyes, really, really PISSED. By the looks of it, any kind of reasoning would be immediately shot down. _Was I under some sort of spell? _The answer was most likely yes. Naraku had manipulated her mind, driving her wild with protectiveness. Kagome let out a small "uuf" as Sesshoumaru landed on the ground with a jolt. He released her, and she slumped down, trying to catch her breath.

Sesshoumaru looked down a the girl with distaste. Her feet were bare, and although she did smell clean, she was dressed most inappropriately. Some sort of open kimono over pants and a strange shirt. With little—Sesshoumaru inwardly grimaced—bunny rabbits scattered all over the print. His own Rin had more taste, and she was but a little girl. He reached his one arm down and grabbed her small wrist, dragging her enough so that she could see him, but would have to crane her neck most painfully. 

Kagome looked up at the demon lord, wide eyed. Suddenly she snapped back into herself and used her own power to stand up. She faced him resolutely, and said, as dignified as she could, "I was under a spell." She tried to meet his glare, but the daggers he sent her through his eyes felt real. "Uhh…" She mumbled, losing her composure a little, "It was Naraku's spell, and he, uh—" 

"Silence, stupid girl. I do not care for your mumbling." His ice-cold voice cut through the miko, making her wince slightly.

"I uh…didn't mean to hurt you or anything, when I used my energy…" Kagome trailed off.

Sesshoumaru would never admit it, but the blast of purifying energy had actually hurt. He was certain he would have a burn mark on his skin where she had touched him. The more important issue at hand was, however, what he was going to do with this girl. He weighed his options. He could kill her, which would accomplish nothing and it would probably cause his brother to come after him. Or he could return her, which would probably result in a fight with his stupid hanyou brother. He could also leave her here, which would probably get her killed, not that it bothered him. However, his brother would find her and smell him on her, then come after him and fight him. Or, the best option was to take her as a hostage, because he knew that both Inuyasha and Naraku wanted her, and _that_ he could use to his advantage. All ended with a senseless fight with Inuyasha, but it seemed that it could not be avoided.

Sesshoumaru, one to often act on impulse made his decision. He would take her with him and use her as an advantage, or bait even. Sesshoumaru's eyes came back in focus as he came out of his concentrated state, only to realize that the girl was still talking. 

"Silence." He said sharply. Kagome stopped her mumbling, looking up at him with wide eyes. _Aw man, this really sucks_. Kagome thought. _Is he gonna kill me now or what?_

"Girl."

"Uh….yea?"

"You are to come with me."

"Huh?!" Kagome watched him stalk away, pausing for a second before she began to follow him silently. 

*

__

God! I HATE walking. Kagome sighed for the elevendy-billionth time that day. She kept her eyes on Sesshoumaru's hair: it's movement seemed to sort of set some type of pace. It was getting dark. _Is he gonna set camp or something?_

Almost as though on cue, Sesshoumaru stopped and looked back slightly. We will be stopping to rest for the night here." He indicated to a cave with his right hand. "You will make a fire and wait for me." 

Kagome smiled slightly, eyebrows furrowed. _How the hell am I supposed to start a fire?_ He was gone. _Too late. I guess I'll have to figure it out for myself._ Kagome gathered some pieces of wood, of all sizes and types. Sitting down with two small sticks, Kagome rubbed them together like she had seen on TV once. Five minutes failed attempts, Kagome furrowed her eyebrows again and threw the sticks away. She looked around. 

"Hey wait!" Kagome said aloud. _"_This cave is made of stone!" Immediately feeling dumb for talking to herself, Kagome grabbed two nearby stones and struck them together like she had read in a book. A couple sparks jumped out, causing Kagome to yelp and pull away in fear. 

"I can totally do this!" Kagome told herself aloud, trying to make herself feel better. "If I can take these sparks and make them fall here—"

"Human, who are you talking to?" Kagome looked up, meeting the cold glare of gold eyes. Sesshoumaru was holding a bundle in his right hand, and as he walked towards her, he dropped the bundle by her feet. His right hand grabbed the rock she held in her hand, and he pushed her aside with his body. Kagome's butt hit the cold hard floor as she let out an very undignified "uuf!" The girl winced, rubbing her butt with one hand, while propping her up with the other. 

Sesshoumaru stepped away from the newly kindled fire. Kagome gaped. "But…You made that so fast!" 

"A fire is a simple thing to make." 

"Oh…"

Kagome reached over and picked up the bundle of cloth. She unfolded the fabric slowly, holding it up in front of her. A kimono. "For me to wear?" She voiced quietly, examining the fabric. 

"No, human, for you to climb a tree with." Sesshoumaru's voice hinted sarcasm.

A pregnant pause fell upon them.

"It's pretty."

"I'm not interested in the way it looks. I merely do not want to parade around with a human dressed in such vile clothes as you are wearing."

Kagome looked down and blushed. Her clothes were a bit, inappropriate for the situation. She winced. _Bunny rabbits. Well, I thought I was kawaii when Mama gave it to me…_

"Change."

Kagome blushed deeper. "Well you're going to have to go away then!" Sesshoumaru glared. "Well, at least for a second…" 

The taiyoukai's eyes narrowed for a moment before he looked away, giving Kagome just enough privacy to change quickly.

Kagome adjusted the kimono, looking down at her feet. "Well, I don't have any shoes or anything." She said aloud. Sesshoumaru looked back towards her, scowling. Kagome observed at the pattern. It was very simple. The fabric was a dark blue color with silver and gold colored blossoms. The colors were quite muted, but she liked it just the same. "I've only worn one of these a couple of times." The miko remarked, holding up her arm so she could admire the sleeves. 

Sesshoumaru hid his surprise. _She's only worn a kimono a couple of times?_ He stood up and looked outside the cave, leaning against the wall. The miko padded slowly over to the fire, running her fingers along the side of the cave. Her bunny rabbit pajamas lay folded next to her. She had already decided on keeping them. There was a silence that lasted over a half an hour, the miko contemplating her situation, the youkai thinking over matters dealing with his lands, Naraku and Inuyasha. 

"Kagome." The girl said softly, breaking the silence. 

Sesshoumaru turned his head slightly. 

"Is my name. Not human, stupid girl, or especially wench." The miko traced patterns on her knees.

"Kagome." She repeated. "Is what you should call me by."

***

Chapter One complete!

A.N. Sigh…That makes almost 12 pages in Microsoft Word! Whew. Be sure to review please!

Also, I know I still need to work on my writing. It's not very flowery, you know. In this chapter I kinda told, instead of showed. But I needed to set the scene. (Making excuses) ^-^ Its just that I haven't written any fiction in 5 months, and I'm still getting back into it. It'll get better…

*Crazy Vash laugh* (I love that!)

(P.S.) Kagome hasn't forgotten about Souta, nor have I forgotten about Kojiki, so don't worry about it. 


	2. Redundancy

Disclaimer: I shall disclaim all of the characters of Inuyasha, for they are not mine, and I do not own them. They belong not to me, but to somebody who is not me. And I am most definitely me, so that rules out me as a candidate of someone who owns the characters of Inuyasha. (P.S. The chapter IS called 'Redundancy', so I thought I would have a fitting disclaimer!)

***

Kagome woke up abruptly, with something on her mind. _'When did I fall asleep in the first place?'_ She rubbed her head, allowing her dreams to come back to her piece by piece. Fragments of the night before flashed in her mind, each one painfully reminding her of the situation she was in. She looked around for Sesshoumaru. He wasn't in the cave, but probably nearby. The miko knew she would never be able to escape him by running away anyway. 

There had to be something she could do. She felt the painful pressure of guilt settling on her shoulders as she searched for a way to save Souta and escape from Sesshoumaru. Massaging her head, she urged her mind to think. 

It seemed that her brain was numb. She wished that Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Inuyasha were there with her, to help her find a way to get her brother. Unfortunately, they all thought she was back home for a week. Kagome stood up, pacing the cave, searching for an answer. 

As she stepped towards the entrance, she ungracefully tripped on a rock, skinning her knee as she hid the ground. Kagome winced, grabbing it. There was nothing like the fresh sting of a skinned knee. The miko looked at her hand. Could she do this? She'd done it a couple of times before…Curiously, the girl placed her hand over her skinned knee, flinching slightly at the touch and let her eyes close. Summoning the power she used to purify, she let it flow out of her hand. The skin on the knee tingled, as the warmth from her hand spread to the wound. 

Kagome opened her eyes, observing the wound. It wasn't gone completely, but it didn't hurt any more. The girl wondered at her hidden miko powers. They continued to grow. Last time she had only been able to heal a small scratch, and she had progressed to skinned knees. 'They seem to grow every time I use them…' Kagome thought. Suddenly a thought struck her, as she let a small grin brighten her face…

*

Souta let himself take a few deep breaths before he opened his eyes. He knew for certain that this wasn't a dream. He ached too much. 

'Last thing that I remember…was a strange pulling sensation. Then I was knocked out cold.' Souta recalled a fuzzy image of his sister reaching for him, but being stopped by an evil voice. She was soon disappearing as he was carried away, but he could still hear her cry out his name… Souta stopped and let his logical mind think. If only he could analyze the situation, he could get himself out of here…

Souta looked around the room he was in. It had only a chair, no bed or tables or anything. A dark figure stood in the corner, leaning against the wall. Souta stood up, walking slowly towards the figure. It was…a boy? About his age. Maybe a little older. The boy remained still, barely moving with each shallow breath he took. 

'He looks like some sort of abandoned puppet' Souta thought to himself, wondering if the other boy was asleep. The young boy reached out to the strange figure, gently touching his shoulder. 

"Sango?!" The strange boy breathed, opening his eyes quickly. Souta jumped back and watched as the boy's eyes became duller and duller, until the pupils all but disappeared. "Who're you?" Souta asked, trying to be brave. The boy didn't respond. He merely stared. It almost seemed as if he were looking straight through Souta. 

"Creepy." The boy remarked, edging away from him a little. "Hello?!" Souta said, waving his hand in front of the puppet's face. "Who are you? And who is Sango?" The "puppet" didn't respond, so Souta stared back for a little while. Getting bored with that, Souta remarked. "If you're not going to tell me your name, I'll just call you Puppet."

"Kohaku." The boy said emotionlessly. 

Souta stared. "Is that your name? Kohaku?"

The strange boy remained silent. 

"Kohaku then…Do you know my sister Kagome?" 

A flicker of something flashed through the dull eyes of the strange boy, but it was gone in a matter of seconds. 

"She travels with Inuyasha," Souta prompted. 

"Inuyasha…" Kohaku muttered. His eyes flickered again, this time remaining normal. Kohaku looked up at Souta. "Who are you?" The boy seemed to have snapped out of his lifeless state.

"Souta, Kagome is my sister. I was taken away from my home last night…I think." 

"Kagome travels with—"

"Inuyasha." Souta repeated impatiently. 

"And Sango?"

'Sango?' "I think I remember my sister mentioning her once." Souta remarked. "Sango is her friend. But I'm not sure."

Kohaku looked at his hands.

"Listen…Can you tell me where we are? I need to get away from here. I have to find my sister." Souta asked earnestly.

"No. It's impossible. You can't escape. You can never escape Naraku." 

*

Kagome sat on the cold stone floor, waiting for Sesshoumaru to return. '_I have to play my cards right…If I don't—' _Kagome stopped herself from imagining how she might be punished. She had spent the last half hour meditating, pooling and increasing the miko power that lay dormant inside of her. Resisting the urge to pace the cave, Kagome closed her eyes once more, resting her head against the wall of stone behind her.

Sesshoumaru landed almost silently in front of the cave. Food. Human food for the girl. He had gone into a nearby village and simply demanded it. The dirty humans had rushed to his service, trying to protect their own worthless lives. Sesshoumaru had expected no less. These were his lands, after all. He now carried a bundle filled with rice, fish and bread, which he dropped outside of the cave.

Kagome stood up, taking a deep breath. She urged herself to take a couple of steps forward, towards the silent silhouette that stood at the front of the cave. Bringing her eyes to meet his, she began to talk. 

"Sesshoumaru. Last night my brother was stolen from me by Naraku. I desperately wish for him back. I ask for your assistance in retrieving him." Kagome lowered her eyes in a bow like gesture. 

"Why would this Sesshoumaru help you, a worthless human girl, retrieve your dirty brother?" Sesshoumaru said harshly. 

Kagome lifted her eyes from off the floor, and stared directly at him. "Because if you help me, I will restore your left arm using my miko powers."

Sesshoumaru stared, his eyes boring into her own. Here was a human girl, his prisoner, who was standing in front of him not frightened, and she still had the audacity to make deals with him? He glared, and with a small movement from his wrist, he struck her across the face, sending her to stagger backwards. 

Kagome examined the cut he had inflicted on her. _'I hope this will work…Not exactly what I had planned, but..' _ Kagome covered her wound fully with her hand, closing her eyes. She called upon the pool of energy she had stored away for healing, urging it to enter her hand.

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow lifted. A normal human would be hunched in pain, cowering before him. This strange girl remained where she was, and bolder still, had closed her eyes. She appeared to be doing something to her wound. The youkai's eyes widened as he saw her hand begin to glow and pulsate, and an uncomfortable pure energy radiated from her. He could feel it….It was immense. It was suppressed, however…the girl could not feel it yet. She could only feel a small amount of it, the tip of the iceberg….

Kagome opened her eyes slowly, keeping her gaze on the ground as she rubbed the spot where the wound had been. There was nothing there. She had healed the wound. A burst of exhilaration swept through her body, but she hid it, needing to try to make Sesshoumaru believe that she was in complete control of her powers. By looking up at his face however, she somehow knew that he could see right through her calm façade. 

'_Perhaps this girl will prove more interesting than I initially thought..'_ Sesshoumaru mused. 

"I will help you find your brother." 

The brightest, most gleeful grin Sesshoumaru had ever seen spread across the girl's face. He turned away, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

"Eat, then we will leave." 

"Eat what? Where are we going?" Kagome leaned forward, sitting on her feet. 

Sesshoumaru picked up the bag of food and tossed it at the girl. "We are going to my castle."

Kagome dropped the bag, anxious. "I thought you said we were going to find my brother!" 

"We are going to my castle, unless of course, you happen to know where Naraku is." His voice cut Kagome, who felt as if he were in a way rubbing her guilt in her face, all while retaining an emotionless face. 

"But…" Kagome searched his eyes, pleading. "Even if we go back to your castle, what good will that do?!"

He paused, narrowing his eyes. "I have spies," the taiyoukai seethed. 

Kagome looked at him dumbly. "Oh…" She mumbled. "Sorry, you were right."

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to reply 'of course I was right, girl.' He paused, glaring coldly at the girl, who was still staring at him. "Is there anything particularly interesting about my face, human?" 

"Well, no." Kagome actually found his face quite intriguing, but she dare not say anything. 

"Then stop standing there like an idiot and eat." 

Kagome turned away, eyebrows immediately furrowing. '_I knew he was mad, but he dosent have to be so cold all the time!"_ She consoled herself by imagining a chibi Sesshoumaru running around on fire. _'Burn! That's right! HAHAHAHA!' _Kagome snapped herself out of her temporary insanity and began to examine the contents of the bag. Fish, rice, some other stuff. Pretty normal, definitely nothing special. 

***

Naraku scowled. Not exactly as he had planned. The girl had been saved from her fall…By Sesshoumaru. He sneered, remembering the silver-haired youkai. It didn't matter, however. He still had the upper hand. He had the reincarnation's brother. He chuckled, the noise progressing into an eerie laugh. 

Kagura rolled her eyes, sitting outside of her master's door. His habit of laughing evilly got on her nerves, as well as everything else he did. She hated her master, but she was bound to him. She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. 

"Kagura!" Naraku barked. The wind sorceress sighed, standing up. "Yes, Master Naraku?" 

"Tend to the boy. Give him food and water." He commanded sharply.

"Hai, Naraku-sama." She bowed, whisking out of the room. '_I finally get to see the boy. The miko's brother. _' 

***

__

'Sometimes I think my life goes around in circles. Here I am, walking long distances again!' Kagome wished she could stop and heal her feet. She had done her best to try to keep them uninjured, walking on only soft leaves and moss, but walking barefoot was nevertheless hard on her feet. It seemed each time she healed a scratch, two new ones appeared. _'At least I'm exercising my powers.'_

Kagome passed her time by making a 'why I hate Sesshoumaru list' in her mind:

His blatant disregard for calling me by my name. He's mean He gives me bad food He's cold He's emotionless He's mean 

Kagome sighed, '_okay, so some of them are a *little* repetitive, but hey…' _She resisted the urge to whine about the walking. The thought, however, lingered on her mind. She wished she could just stop like a little child and say 'I'm tiiiiiiiiiireed! Can we puhleeeeeeeeeeese stop!' Kagome's mind rant immediately stopped as she felt something pull at her senses. A demon?

Sesshoumaru had evidently felt it too, for he had stopped as well. "Stay here, human," he commanded as he jumped off to kill the demon.

Kagome, happy to get her chance to rest, plopped to the ground, placing her hands on her feet. She closed her eyes and concentrated healing all the points of injury. Pulling her hands away, she marveled at how quickly she was able to heal herself now. So many scratches, bruises, and skin splits, and it had only taken about five seconds. Lying back onto the soft moss relaxed Kagome, and she closed her eyes. She felt the pull again, this time coming from the opposite direction. A different demon? She stood up, taking a few uneasy steps back, towards Sesshoumaru. The miko turned, trying to feel him. He was too far for her to reach…She gasped. Another demon had emerged into the clearing. It approached her slowly, sniffing the air, smelling Sesshoumaru. Kagome couldn't quite tell what kind of demon it was, like a hybrid of a cat and a pig. It was repulsively ugly, and Kagome resisted pinching her nose at its horrible smell. The miko's eyes darted around the clearing, searching for something to defend herself with. She desperately wished for her bow and arrow, but it was far, far away, in a completely different time. 

She looked at the demon again. It was closing in. Kagome's eyes drifted to the sharp cat claws it held poised. The miko found herself stepping back, almost tripping over a rock. Suddenly the demon growled, in its own piggish-catty sort of way, and sprung towards her. Kagome screamed, so loud that it reached the ears of a certain taiyoukai standing over a dead demon, who was flicking the blood off his hands. 

Kagome tried to put her hands out to shield herself, but the demon landed on her with astonishing force. The girl hit the ground heavily, with the weight of the pig-cat on top of her. He head swam for a second, halfway because of the impact, and halfway because of the stench. The demon clawed at her clothing, which proved to be rather tough. With a couple more slashes, some hitting her face and neck, the fabric tore. Kagome couldn't breathe; the demon was so heavy. She had to do something…

Sesshoumaru sprinted towards the girl, claws raised, ready to obliterate to demon. He stopped short, however, at the crackling of powerful energy radiating from the girl. Kagome let out a scream, summoning all of her miko powers into a powerful blast. The demon was obliterated almost immediately by the pure energy. Sesshoumaru shielded his eyes at the brightness.

Kagome opened her eyes, blinking several times. _'Where is the demon? I…It was me. I destroyed it!' _ Kagome turned to see a slightly stunned Sesshoumaru. 

'_For a brief second, her true power was released…It was immense for such a small human…A girl at that.'_ He hesitated a lingering second before he said, "Let us continue." 

*

Kagura entered the dark room, holding a tray of food. '_What am I? A servant?' _ The wind sorceress inwardly sighed and reminded herself of her status. 

The boy was sleeping. Kohaku was standing in the corner, eyes closed as well. Kagura frowned. She had been hoping to talk to the boy who was the brother of an object whom Naraku wanted so badly to have eliminated. Most likely, this boy would be killed after the miko is killed. She set down the tray of food next to him with a small 'clunk'. 

Souta stirred at the small noise, opening his eyes immediately. He stared at the lady above him, mouth agape. The boy stood, continuing to observe the woman in the beautiful kimono. "I'm Souta." He stated. "Who are you?"

"Kagura." 

"Have you come to save me?" 

Hesitation. Then, "no."

"Oh…" The boy looked down dejectedly. "You know, Inuyasha and Kagome will come save me, soon." He seemed unsure, as if he were trying to convince himself. "I can't stay prisoner here." His eyes searched Kagura's cold red ones as she scowled down at him. 

"Eat." She commanded, folding her arms across her chest. 

Souta looked down at the food. He suddenly remembered how hungry he was. The food beckoned to him, as he tried to fight the urge to scarf in all down in one bite. But he tore his gaze away, back to weird looking lady. "Are you a demon?" 

"Yes." Her gaze was smoldering, but Souta didn't seem to feel it. 

"Do you work for Na-Nara…ku?" 

"Not of my own accord." Souta sensed tiredness in her voice. 

"Then why do you work for him?" 

"He holds me captive, like you." 

Souta remained silent for a few seconds, wondering how she could be held captive. He recalled what the boy had said before he snapped back into his emotionless trance. _'You can't escape. You can never escape Naraku.'_

'I like your kimono." The boy said. 

Kagura was taken aback by the boy's innocence. She was so unused to seeing innocence in her position. _'Then again, he is like his sister; naïve, innocent, always happy unless in danger.'_ Kagura's mind flashed back to an image of the miko standing behind the hanyou with her bow strung. _'She was brave…free_' Kagura wished she could be free…She turned to leave, only to stop once again by the sound of the boy's voice. She remained with her back turned, head inclined slightly in the direction of the boy. 

"Thank you for the meal, Kagura." Souta said politely. 

Striding outside the door, Kagura saw one last image of the boy smiling at her before she shut and locked the door. 

__

'I have not seen such an innocent smile.' 

*

Kagome sat about two feet away from Sesshoumaru, warming her hands on the newly kindled fire. She glanced at Sesshoumaru, observing his hair. Watching it was the only thing that kept her alive through those long walks everyday. Ever since she was a child, she had liked playing with hair. She used to play with her mother's fine hair before she had cut it. Kagome remembered how smooth the hair was, so unlike her own bushy thick hair. Kagome's hands itched. 

"May I touch your hair?" Kagome asked feebly. 

"No." 

Kagome tried to oblige, but realized her hands were already touching his hair. It was like the temptation she couldn't resist to tweak Inuyasha's ears when she first met him.

Kagome flinched when he growled at her. "Sorry!" She pulled back her hand quickly. "You just have pretty hair," she mumbled apologetically. Sesshoumaru glared at her. "You know you have pretty eyes too." Kagome mused, shifting her position to stare at them. The miko wondered if she had a death wish, gazing at those stone cold eyes. She reached out and grabbed the tips of his hair again, holding them close to her eyes. Observing the strands, Kagome murmured "You don't even have any split ends, either. I bet your mother had pretty hair too. Did she?" Kagome looked up, realizing suddenly that she probably shouldn't have said that last thing. Obviously matters of the family were a little touchy with Sesshoumaru. The youkai's loud growling make Kagome drop the hair immediately. "Sorry!" Kagome suddenly wished she had a subduing spell over Sesshoumaru. 

A silence passed over them, being broken once again by Kagome. "When will we be at your castle?" 

"The day after tomorrow." The minimum required response. 

"Not much of a conversationalist." Kagome grumbled under her breath. Suddenly remembering his impeccable hearing, she apologized immediately. "Gomen! Gomen! I just like to have someone to talk to." 

Sesshoumaru looked at the girl strangely. Yes, she was an odd one. Where had she come from? She couldn't have possibly come from the village where Inuyasha was sealed to a tree. She must be a foreigner. 

"Where are you from girl?"

"Kagome." She corrected. "Tokyo. Its…um…really, really far away. You've probably never heard of it." 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "I have been all over this land." 

"Yea…but, I guarantee you've never heard of it, because, well…" Kagome stumbled over her words, trying to figure out whether to tell him where Tokyo really was. "Well…It's not exactly in this time."

"Specify." 

"Umm…its about 500 years in the future…I mean, it's in Japan and stuff, but it doesn't really exist yet. I get here by traveling through a magic well." 

Sesshoumaru wondered if the girl was crazy. It was of no matter to him anyway. He was just curious. He turned away, staring in the dark forest that surrounded them for a while He stiffened as he felt a small tugging on his hair again. The youkai growled again, this time turning and intending to pin her to the ground. "I will not warn you again." He snarled. The youkai's eyes widened, however, when he realized she was asleep. She had involuntary grabbed his hair as she turned in her slumber. His face looked slightly exasperated as he tugged back, pulling his hair from her grip. He got up and walked away, choosing to sit under a tree instead of by the strange girl who was full of surprises.

__

'What exactly have I gotten myself into?'

***

Chapter two complete!

Arg. Sorry it took so long to get up. I think it was a little bit of writers block. Or I'm just lazy…or I just take forever to write something! Anyway. Thanks for the reviews I got for last chapter and Puhleeeeez send a review! ^.^ 

P.S. :About Kagome's tendency to make mental lists….Authors license. ^.^ Also…Pig-cat…I was on something when I wrote it. Have a fun time imagining a pig-cat!


	3. As Night Fell

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha or the story, or any of that crap (keepin it plain and simple)   
  
Kagura's rouge eyes scanned the room. The boy had dozed off again, and Kohaku had not moved from his watchful spot in the corner. As she set down his food, his eyes snapped open.   
  
"Hello Kagura!" Souta smiled. He had become determined to stay as optimistic as possible. As soon as a bad thought entered his mind, he immediately fought it off with an image of Inuyasha and Kagome.   
  
He grabbed some bread off the tray, delicately tearing off a piece of it and popping it in his mouth. As Kagura turned to leave, Souta dropped the bread. "Please don't leave so soon! I have no one to talk to in here."   
  
"I have things to do." Kagura lied.   
  
"Oh…Well can I ask you a favor?"   
  
"It depends what the favor is."   
  
"Can you bring me some paper and a pen…er…quill or whatever to write with? I mean, next time you come?" Souta smiled as nicely as he could.   
  
Kagura hesitated. "I'll see what I can arrange." She turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.   
  
'What would he need such items for? Surely a boy of his stature cannot read or write.'   
  
Kagome shuffled her feet along the worn path. Her fingers twisted the ends of the new kimono that she wore, because the old one had been torn up by the cat-pig. Kagome sneered. It had taken some goooood scrubbin' to get that smell of her. Sesshoumaru had reluctantly brought her a new one from heaven-knows-where, and also, with some begging on Kagome's part, some shoes. Kagome twisted the green fabric adorned with small gold flowers and flower petals. The kimono, again, was nothing special, but Kagome, who hardly ever wore kimonos, enjoyed it just the same.   
  
The girl put her hand on her stomach. Sesshoumaru had not given her food yet. She was very hungry. How long had it been? Kagome paused, her mind chatter ceasing. She couldn't remember how many days she had been traveling with Sesshoumaru. One? Two? How long had Souta been in captivity? Was he all right? Kagome felt tears sting in her eyes, and she tried to push them back. Such thoughts should not enter her mind at a time like this! 'There's nothing I can do about it right now! I'll save him, but now is not the time!' Kagome consoled herself with thinking that she was on her way to saving him, but her thoughts ceased as she almost ran into Sesshoumaru.   
  
"Stay here."   
  
"Hey wait! Why?!" He was gone. Kagome clenched her teeth, cursing him under her breath. She watched in her mind's eye as an image of a very small chibi Sesshoumaru drowned in a glass of water. 'AHAHAHA! That's right! Drown, Drown! That's what you get for leaving me all alone in the forest! AHA!' Kagome once again forced herself out of her insanity, and began to go in the direction he was headed. There were no demons around, well, none that she could feel so…   
  
'Ah, he must be getting me food.'   
  
Kagome furrowed her eyebrows and clenched her fists, stalking towards the noise of a village.   
  
As she approached the village, she noticed a crowd of silent people standing in the center of the shacks. Kagome sneaked to the crowd, standing behind the village peasants.   
  
"You will give me your food." Kagome instantly recognized the voice as Sesshoumaru's.   
  
"Please, Oh Great Demon Lord! Please, I must feed my family." The miko stood on tiptoe, trying to see around the crowd of hushed people. A peasant, probably the head of the village, was on his knees, begging a taiyoukai that Kagome instantly recognized.   
  
Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose. The smell of humans was everywhere. "I am the ruler of these lands. Surely you should have something to spare for a demon as mighty as this Sesshoumaru?"   
  
"Our village is terribly poor, Oh Great Demon Lord! We barely have enough to feed ourselves! Please, mercy—"   
  
"Silence," Sesshoumaru cut in sharply.   
  
Kagome gritted her teeth. Surely he was not going to make these people suffer?! All so she could have some food? 'No way! I don't need food that bad!'   
  
The miko touched the shoulder of a man standing nearby. "May I borrow your bow and arrows?" Kagome asked urgently. The man stood wide eyed at the young girl in the green kimono, silently handing her the bow and set of arrows. The miko grabbed the set and pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Sesshoumaru could not see her. Kagome strung an arrow on the bow, as the people close to her tried to back away. One even tried to stop her before she let the arrow fly free, it's purple-ish glow bright even in the daytime.   
  
Sesshoumaru grabbed the arrow, fighting off the urge to wince as the holy energy burned his hand. The arrow disintegrated with a surge of his poison, as he turned around. The girl stalked up to him, delicate eyebrows furrowed, her fists clenched.   
  
"I don't need food that bad Sesshoumaru!" She hissed to him, whispering so that no one heard.   
  
"Quiet, you insolent human. These are my lands. I do as I please." He seethed.   
  
The onlookers stared with wide eyes. A human girl had the courage enough to strike the demon lord with an arrow, but to argue with him too?   
  
Sesshoumaru grabbed her wrist, twisting it behind her back. "We will leave the village. Do not say a word."   
  
"No way!" Kagome poured as much miko energy as she could into her twisted arm, causing the youkai to reflexively release her. The girl took a step back, scowling at the demon lord before she walked over the man on the ground.   
  
"Sir, we don't really need food." Kagome smiled at him, helping him up from his feet. "You can feed your family. Sorry for all the trouble." Kagome brushed him off before smiling again and whirling to face Sesshoumaru. She glared for a second before she brushed past him, grabbing the set of arrows and the bow. She turned to the man she had borrowed them from. "May I keep these?"   
  
The man took a step back, confused and nervous. "Sure, sure…. Please keep them!" Kagome smiled at the man before turning once again to Sesshoumaru. She stalked up to him, staring him right in the eye. "Now we can leave." She whispered.   
  
His mind was racing after he dragged the girl out of the village. He should kill her. His demon pride was telling him to kill her, but his intellect was telling him to keep her. He was torn between hate and weakness, and there was a little something in between. Respect? She had been dignified, brave, and strong, all the qualities that he least expected from a young human girl. He was a little confused, but primarily angry. He slammed her against a tree, pushing her so she was eye level with him.   
  
"You should be quick to learn," he spat, "to never disrespect me again."   
  
Kagome glared, her temper boiling to the surface. "If you hadn't been so cruel to those people in the village, I wouldn't have done that!"   
  
"Those worthless humans weren't desiring of my compassion." His voice rose as he spoke.   
  
"Arrogant—" Kagome paused. 'Say nothing that will get me killed, say nothing that will get my killed, say nothing…' Kagome chanted in her head, biting her tongue. She closed her eyes, pulling from her sleeping magic inside of her. A glow surrounded her body, not intended as an attack, but to cause discomfort to Sesshoumaru so he would release her from her firm grip.   
  
Sesshoumaru recoiled from the magic, allowing Kagome to fall to the ground, landing on her knees. "Fine girl, if you don't want me to get you food, you'll have to get it yourself," he said coldly.   
  
"Well fine then! I will!" Kagome sprang to her feet and glared at the youkai. Her bow and arrow set was in her hands as he watched her storm off into the woods. "You have ten minutes, wench." He called after her.   
  
Sesshoumaru sat down against the trees, wanting to rub his forehead with his fingers to relieve the growing pressure and frustration. She was by far the oddest human he had ever come across. Then again, with that power that she had demonstrated, was she human? Never the less, he pondered at her audacity. Had she been born so far into the future that she had no respect for the power of demons? 'She is certainly a handful to take care of,' he thought with frustration.   
  
The girl was back within seven minutes. She sent him a look of 'Don't…Even…Ask!' He pursued anyway. "Find anything, human?"   
  
"I couldn't kill the cute little bunny rabbit!" She shouted. "It was there, and I had it in my aim, but I couldn't kill it, okay?! She lowered her head in humility, mumbling "the bunny rabbit reminded me too much of my pajamas."   
  
Sesshoumaru resisted with all his might not to laugh at the girl at her own expense. "It looks as if you are unable to even kill, weak human." He said, with a hint of a smile on his face. The smirk grew a little more as she shot a gaze straight from hell at him. "I will catch you something to eat."   
  
"Please no!" Kagome held up a hand. "I wouldn't be able to eat it! I can't get the image of the bunny rabbit out of my head! I'll just go without eating for a while, then we'll stop in the next village. When will we be at your castle?"   
  
"Tomorrow."   
  
"Okay, so can we stop in the next village today, and we can get some food there?"   
  
Hesitation. "Perhaps."   
  
"Cool!" Kagome grinned.   
  
Sesshoumaru once again resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the strange girl.   
  
"Kagura! Kagura!" Souta jumped up as the woman entered the room.   
  
"What?" She spat.   
  
"I made you something!" Souta held out the piece of parchment he had been meticulously working on for the last couple of hours.   
  
Kagura took the parchment from the boy's hands, looking at it.   
  
"It's a picture of you, me, Kagome my sister, and Inuyasha!" Souta narrated. "Oh, and ignore the stuff on the back. That's just me practicing my math and English so I wouldn't get rusty."   
  
Kagura flipped the parchment over to the scribbles of some language she didn't know, and complex numbering problems. She turned to the other side again, eyes darting from the boy to the parchment. She was suddenly overwhelmingly jealous as she looked upon the smiling boy and the drawing. Even though this small boy was physically in captivity, his mind and heard were still free. Freedom was something she could never have. Not even of the mind and heart, for her heart was held captive as well. She knew if she were human, she would have an overwhelming feeling of sadness and helplessness. But since emotions were off limits to her captive heart, she could feel nothing. She simply stood.   
  
"Kagura?"   
  
Kohaku opened his dull eyes in the corner.   
  
"Whats the matter? You don't like it?"   
  
Kagura stared at him. "No, I…I—" She could say no more.   
  
"You don't like it."   
  
"I do." Kagura said urgently, suddenly feeling as if things were going to fast. "I just cant—"   
  
"Sure you can!" Souta took a step closer.   
  
"No, I…"   
  
"Yes, anyone can! Just open up your heart and say whatever comes to your mind!"   
  
"Heart?"   
  
"Yep! Follow your heart. My mom always says that!"   
  
"I don't…have one—"   
  
"You don't? But, Kagura…of course you do."   
  
Kagura's eyes glazed over. "Souta, eat your food. I have important things to do. Do not pester me with such nonsense again." She left, cursing herself for letting the boy's innocence get the better of her.   
  
Kagome munched happily on a piece of bread as she walked behind Sesshoumaru. True to his word, he had stopped in the next village, and this time, due to Kagome's persistent whining and yelling, had not forced the people to give their food.   
  
Sesshoumaru halted in front of her, obviously wanting to make camp, as it was getting rather dark. Kagome, used to the routine already, cleared a spot for the fire and pulled a log in front of it. She glanced curiously at a nearby twig, then shifted her gaze to Sesshoumaru, who was thoroughly sniffing the area for signs of demons or whatnot. Kagome gathered a few twigs and set them in front of her. Sitting on the ground, Kagome took a stick from the pile and held it in her hand, observing it. Decisively, she closed her eyes and unlocked the familiar magic inside of her, deploying it to her hand.   
  
Sesshoumaru turned quickly as he heard a scream of pain from the girl. She was staring at a burning stick in her hand, before Sesshoumaru reacted and swatted it out of her grasp. Kagome gripped her wrist, eyes tearing at the searing pain. Tears fell from her eyes as she stared at the charred skin.   
  
The demon lord grabbed her wrist from her, observing it. "Why did you pick up a burning stick, idiot human?"   
  
Kagome grimaced, wiping the tears from her eyes as quickly as she could. "I…I didn't! I held it in my hand and focused my magic, and it began to burn."   
  
Sesshoumaru turned to face the human, eyes darting from her eyes to her burnt hand. Kagome looked at him briefly before directing her attention fully on her hand. She concentrated, and sent her miko magic to the hand, not even closing her eyes. She saw the skin peel back, falling off as new skin emerged. A little raw, yes, but healed and no longer in pain. Kagome smiled to herself, admiring her new hand before realizing that Sesshoumaru still held it.   
  
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at her hand, apparently lost in thought. Awkward….yes. Kagome paused. "Sesshoumaru?"   
  
The taiyoukai snapped out of his trance, roughly dropping her hand and standing up. He turned away from the girl that caused him much frustration and commented, "You seem to be fine, human. Be more careful next time so you do not waste my time." He jumped into a nearby tree to keep watch over her as night fell.   
  
A.N: I really squeezed this chapter out. I mean, its not like I didn't have any ideas or anything, but I didn't find a lot of privacy to write it. Sorry for the wait!   
  
Also, Sorry for making Sesshoumaru so…well…mean. I really wanted to keep the character of Sesshoumaru, the essence sorta. In my last story I got flamed a lot for making Sesshoumaru too OOC, and I also realized that I don't really like it when fluffy gets too, well, fluffy. I mean, it will get fluffy later, but I think I'll take it slower than the last story. (I think I just said "fluffy" WAAAAAY too many times!   
  
Pahhleeeeze review!


	4. Anyone But Him

Disclaimer (which I almost forgot to put in!) I dont own the characters of Inuyasha, and I am not creative enough to even come up with an interesting disclaimer.

* * *

Kagome looked over the numbers she had scratched in the dirt. 'Math sucks," she thought as she continued with her problem.

Sesshoumaru eyed the girl from where he was resting. What was she doing? Scratching gibberish in the dirt? He became increasingly curious as she sighed annoyingly.

Kagome, frustrated, threw her stick down in the dirt. "I hate geometry," She mumbled, scratching out her failed math problem with her foot. Kagome crossed her arms and turned on her heel to face Sesshoumaru. She was surprised that he was looking directly at her; she's suspected that he would ignore her like he usually did, making snide comments every now and then.

"Idiot human, why were you defacing this land with your stupid chicken-scratch?" Kagome sighed. There went the snide comment…

"It wasn't chicken-scratch," she explained. "It was Geometry…math. Do you even have that?" Kagome picked up the stick again and scratched a simple math problem into the dirt, pointing.

"We use that for practical purposes. Whatever you were doing was far too ridiculous for my uses, so it is little more that idiocy to me."

"Tell that to my math teachers," Kagome mumbled, reaching for her balled up bunny pajamas that she now used as a pillow. Her nimble fingers folded them flat and she tucked them inside her kimono. She didn't quite know why she kept them, but they sure did make a good pillow.

Naraku sneered, deep in thought. His leg itched from sitting in the same position for hours on end, but he was too concentrated to move. There were problems to attend to. 'Perhaps I will have to use Kojiki's witch doctor talents again…' Naraku thought. 'To fix the problem of the girl and the taiyoukai. However, it is not time to tend to that problem yet. Neither is it time to deal with the other problem…the boy. I shall just have to bide my time for now, before I start to formulate a plan…'

Kagome rubbed her thumb against the rough bark of the stick she held in her hand. She absently wondered if she could make things levitate with her magic. She didn't care enough at that time to try, but surely later she would begin experimenting. The girl had a strong desire to increase her miko energy, for self defense in case anything bad were to happen in a confrontation with Naraku. She had thought about that often. How was she going to get her brother back? She was not a battle strategist, nor a very sneaky person, as Naraku was. She was, however, clever. That's what she relied on most, she thought. Being clever. The only thing her clever little mind could think of to help Souta, however, was to increase her miko powers (which were steadily growing) as much as she could.

Sesshoumaru smelled it. His home. His castle. Although he traveled very often, he was always somewhat pleased to come back home. When he was small, home always meant 'mother,' until she died. The quality of the scent always reminded him of his mother, no matter how much he let on. He was eager, and in a somewhat good mood, he stopped and turned to the girl.

Kagome halted as well, curious. "Are we stopping already?" She asked without thinking. Soon after she flinched, as she knew an insinuating comment would soon come her way.

"Yes, human, I decided that you need a rest for your small tired legs." He was dripping with sarcasm. 'Well, for Sesshoumaru…' Kagome thought.

"Here." He walked towards her. "I tire of this slow pace. Because we are nearly to my castle, I will carry you. But not of goodwill." He added

Kagome grinned. "Neat-o! Are we gonna fly?!"

Sesshoumaru turned away, and really _did_ roll his eyes this time.

"Should I just climb on your back?" Kagome took an unsure step forward.

"Yes, girl, hurry up." Sesshoumaru's face didn't change as he felt her warm hands on his shoulders first, then her soft torso on his back.

"Kay. I'm on." Kagome felt awkward. She had done this dozens of times with Inuyasha, but with someone as stiff as Sesshoumaru…It just felt weird.

Sesshoumaru launched off with speed twice that of Inuyasha's. Kagome yelped, struggling for a better hold as the wind whooshed past her body.

"What are you screaming about, idiot?"

"I'm not used to this speed."

Sesshoumaru smirked slightly. "This isn't even half my true speed."

Kagome's eyes widened as she held on tighter. His hair was whipping in the wind, sending strands to strike her across the face. It stung like no other at this speed. Kagome hesitated, shifted her weight so she could hold on with one hand, then swept all of his hair behind her, as if it were a protective curtain. She rested her head at the base of the back of his neck, as it was the only sensible place for it to go. Sesshoumaru sneered at the contact.

"What are you doing?" He snapped.

"Oh, suck it up." She gruumbled. "I'm just trying to find a comfortable position."

Sesshoumaru said nothing. He kept his eyes on the horizon, attempting to focus on his destination, but his thoughts were on the girl. She smelled, weird. Not bad, but funny. Something wasn't right, because she smelled familiar, and he couldn't place it. Like his mother, he thought suddenly, and this puzzled him more. How could this girl possibly smell like his mother? It was a wonderful smell to him, and peaceful scenes of time spent with his mother and himself trailed through his memory. Although, this girl had her own individual scent…it was like the smell wasn't radiating from her, but from around her. He couldn't understand.

As he cut through the wind he thought about her. Kagome, she had said her name was. She was unlike any other human he had ever met, except perhaps Rin. No…she wasn't even like Rin; she was way more defiant. Maybe it had to do with her age? She was not afraid to stand up for anyone, she wasn't afraid of anything. She held such a strong personality that he couldn't understand. Humans were weak, they were cowards and afraid of anything that might hurt them. They had stupid emotions: they cried. He had only cried once. Once in his long, long life. And that had been when he was a child. Sesshoumaru, on one hand, wanted to throw this girl off of him and let her fall to her death so he would never see her again. But on the other hand, he wanted desperately to know more about her, so he could understand.

He hated not understanding.

"Woa!" Kagome piped up from behind Sesshoumaru. "Is that your castle! It's so cool!"

"Be quiet human, for once?"

He landed on his grounds, his castle sinking below the horizon so that only the tallest parts peeked above.

"Why are we landing this far away?" Kagome asked.

"So I don't have to face the embarrassment of arriving at the castle with you riding me so." Sesshoumaru snapped, striding forward with his long legs.

Kagome's face soured. She was no longer afraid of him killing her…she was plain mad at this point. "So I'm just an embarrassment?" she spat.

"You're human."

"So what?!"

"Humans are weak. Youkai are strong. I wouldn't want to be doubted by my advisors."

Kagome had a feeling that Sesshoumaru didn't give a care as to what his advisors thought. She changed the topic. "So what are you going to do to help me find my brother."

"The first step is to locate him. I will use a network of spies to go all across the four corners of this land."

"All that for me?"

"Don't you remember your promise, girl?"

"Promise?"

"I will bind you to it." He stopped to study her.

"You mean the arm? But I cant heal an…" Kagome stopped suddenly.

"If you cannot, then I will keep you as a slave in my castle. Or perhaps, if I am up to it, kill you."

"That wasn't part of the deal!"

"The deal, human," he said the word with distaste, "was that you would heal my arm, if I found your brother. If you do not fulfill the end of the deal, I am not going to let you leave my sight. You will belong to me."

"I don't remember agreeing to that." Kagome was unsure now.

"It wasn't, and is not an option."

Kagome looked down as he walked forward. She was in serious trouble now. It was a matter of life and death. She knew she couldn't heal something as big as an arm. Kagome realized that her feet were moving without her asking them to. She was automatically following Sesshoumaru, her eyes hypnotized by his hair in front of her. The girl pushed all of her thoughts into the farthest corner of her mind, saving them for later.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! You have brought home Rin a present! A girl?" Sesshoumaru patted Rin's head looking past her into his castle. "Yes Rin, a girl. You may play with her." That would leave them both occupied for a while so he could go rest and think.

Kagome's eyes narrowed at the departing figure. She hated it when Sesshoumaru talked about her like a possession; a new toy for this girl who he called Rin. As much as she wanted to hate the small girl in front of her, her bad moods lifted immediately as Rin grabbed her hand, chattering about picking some flowers. Kagome wondered to herself who this girl was, why she was here living in Sesshoumaru's castle.

"I know a great field of flowers, its over there." Rin stopped her talking for a second to point. "And we can pick lots of them! And then later we can catch fireflies! By the way, what is your name?"

"Kagome." The miko smiled.

"That's a neat name. Rin wishes she had a cooler name instead o- plain ol Rin, but then again, that's the name Rin's mommy and daddy gave her!"

Kagome became instantly alarmed. "Where are your mommy and daddy now?"

"Oh…they died a long time ago." Rin said idly. "Now Rin travels with Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin likes it here."

"Why do you travel with Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.

As the small child recited her story, Kagome became more and more surprised at Sesshoumaru's level of compassion. He had saved a young girl with his sword? She had never known he possessed any compassion, let alone seen it. As her brain threatened to explode from too many things to think about, she bent down and plucked a flower for Rin. The small girl's fingers wrapped around it, smile widening. "C'mon, lets go pick more!" Rin said.

"Actually Rin, I was hoping if you could show me where I could get some food around here…I'm starving." Kagome put extra emphasis on the word 'starving'.

"Okay!" Rin shouted, just happy to have something to do. "This way!" She grabbed Kagome's hand and started running towards the castle.

After Kagome had eaten, a servant took her to a room. It was normal, not overly furnished or expensive. After saying her goodnights to Rin, and her promises that they would play in the morning, Kagome shut the door and faced the room. It was at that time that all the things she had pushed aside to think about later came back. Kagome closed her eyes and sank to the floor, trying to piece apart the chaos inside her head. So many thoughts bombarded her at once, that she became short of breath. What was she doing? Would she die here? Would she be able to save her brother? Would Sesshoumaru kill her? What about Inuyasha? And her mother? Kagome moved to the bed and attempted to sleep amidst all these thoughts, but despite her tired and weak body crying out for sleep, she wasn't able to. She felt tears leaking out of her eyes, even though she had tried many times to convince them to stop. Everything was a mess. She needed someone to talk to.

Kagome stood up, straightening out her kimono and wiping her face clear of tears. Her skin burned from the salty droplets and probably, Kagome thought, was all pink and ugly. She opened the door quietly, peeking out for signs of life. She didn't care who it was, she just wanted to find someone to confide in. If it was a servant, that was fine. Just someone…anyone. The miko wandered down the halls, going whichever way she felt. She soon realized she was lost, but she didn't mind. Anything to get her mind away from negative thoughts. At the end of the dark hallway she was going down, she saw a light around the corner. Kagome walked swiftly to the end and observed a door, slightly open and displaying a dimly lit room. The miko's face brightened. Someone to talk to! Anyone! She peeked in, careful to be as silent as she could.

Anyone!

She looked at the silhouette of the figure inside, sitting at a desk, then her face visually dropped.

Anyone. Anyone but _him._

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Wheweee! That chapter was a beast for sure! I spent so much time on it. I had a REALLY busy couple of weeks, plus I was working on a one-shot at the same time. Thats why it took so long. Please forgive me and review!


	5. Maruya

Disclaimer: I saw a bird in my yard yesterday and it reminded me of the fact that I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters. I cried. Then I went inside and had some pie with bleu cheese.

A.N. I'm going to give my authors note at the beginning of the chapter today, because I want to apologize (in advance) for the sloppiness of this chapter. I'm moving on Saturday, and I want to get this chapter out as fast as I can. Review anyway…. Please?

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Kagome hovered in the doorway, daring not to breathe. His silhouette seemed to be glowing from the lamplight behind him. Her mind told her to step away from the door, to somehow find her room and curl up in her safe bed, but it seemed as if her nerves insisted on remaining stagnant. He was sitting in a chair, head resting in one hand and, from what Kagome could see, was poring over some documents. Her breath caught in her throat as he slowly turned to face her.

"What are you doing out of your room, human?" Despite the harsh words, his voice was relatively soft.

It took Kagome two tries before she was able to settle on "I couldn't sleep."

His golden eyes narrowed for a moment before he turned back to his desk.

Kagome sighed. She had really asked for it when she had wanted someone to talk to. 'Well,' she thought, 'at least I know him. I might as well talk to him.' It might have been a little weird anyway, asking some random stranger if she could talk with them. She pushed the door open silently, padding over to his bed on the other side of the room.

"Wow Sesshoumaru, you have a cool bed!" Kagome exclaimed, running her hands over the dark wood. It was a western-style four poster, the posts extending almost to the ceiling.

Sesshoumaru didn't respond, so Kagome sat stiffly on the bed. She clenched her hands into fists before she began.

'Sesshoumaru, I'm really worried. I've really screwed up. My brother's gone, my mother is probably worried sick, and Inuyasha is most likely getting impatient. Not to mention the fact that I don't think I can heal your arm.'

Well, that was what she meant to say.

It seemed as if her nerves had failed her once again, and chickened out at the last moment.

"What are those papers, Sesshoumaru?"

He turned to glare at her. "These papers are documents that your feeble little mind couldn't possibly comprehend."

Great. Now she was engaged in a completely awkward conversation that involved him making rude comments and her making a fool of herself.

"Sesshoumaru, why are you so rude?" If she was gonna make a fool of herself, she might as well go all out.

"Because you are a worthless human."

"Stop using that to justify your actions all the time, damnit!" Kagome shot back. "Okay, so I know I'm human, and I guess I'm worthless to you, but I'm sick and tired of you using that as an excuse for all your bad actions!" Kagome covered her mouth. 'Whoops...'

Sesshoumaru stood from his chair, turning around and striking her in one lightning-fast fluid motion. Kagome stared up at him with hurt eyes, before covering her bleeding cheek with her hand. She closed her eyes, about to heal the torn skin, but she hesitated, She wouldn't heal it. She'd purposely not heal it. Make him smell her blood. She'd let it drip onto his bed so he could smell it for days. To remember the fact that he'd stricken her for merely saying some harsh things. Sesshoumaru turned back to his documents and Kagome's eyes opened again willing the gash not to heal.

Sesshoumaru frowned, staring blankly at the documents. She smelled of salt and blood. Had she been crying before? Perhaps that is why she could not sleep. And the blood. Hadn't the young miko healed herself yet?

Kagome began laughing, her giggling echoing off all four walls of his room. He turned, slightly alarmed. Now what? Had this stupid human lost her sanity?

"Sorry." She choked. "I just think it's really funny to see you at a desk, working with documents. I mean, I'm so used to seeing you in a forest, or in a tomb, saying 'now you shall die, Inuyasha,' but seeing you here is just funny!" Kagome smiled at him, blood dripping unto her lap, staining her kimono. The entire right side of her face was covered in blood, a larger amount pooled in her lap. He stood, taking a step forward. "Heal yourself, human," he commanded. Kagome took to her feet, hands on her hips. "No! I don't have to! You were the one that caused the injury anyway!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed again. "Heal yourself." He repeated. Kagome took another step forward, only to stagger backwards again. "I feel sorta dizzy, though…" Kagome said faintly. "I don't think I can…now." The miko looked to the ground at the enormous amount of blood that had fallen from her lap when she stood. Her eyes widened. By willing herself _not_ to heal, her magic had worked to make the injury worse.

"Well," she said softly, looking at her blood covered hands. "At least I succeeded in making the biggest fool of myself possible."

Then she fell, hair swirling about her as she soared backwards to the ground. She never quite made it to the ground, however, as Sesshoumaru's instincts had prompted him to stick out and arm to save her from the fall. Kagome's eyes remained closed as he brought her back up.

"That stupid woman," he muttered. "Blood loss." He carried her to her room, summoning a servant to bring some bandages. Placing her on the bed, he grabbed the damp cloth his servant presented to him and wiped all blood clean from her face. Normally he liked the smell of blood; it was in his demon nature, but presently it wasn't appealing to him. He wondered why.

After a healer, under the watchful eye of Sesshoumaru, bandaged Kagome's face, the youkai dismissed all servants from the room, sitting in the chair that occupied the far corner of the room. She was very odd indeed. He had so many questions about her, about what motivated her to do the things she did. His eyes closed, a brief moment of emotion. She was a lot more intelligent than he had first thought, yet she was the stupidest creature at the same time. She used the weirdest techniques to save loved ones, sacrificing herself to have them safe.

And what's worse, she, this human girl Kagome had inspired emotion in him. He would not deny it. He, Sesshoumaru, ruler of the Western Lands, felt a twinge of guilt for striking her. If she had healed the gash using her magic, which he knew she could, he would have felt no remorse. He stood up, hovering over her bed and touched her forehead briefly, strange and intimate contact for one such as himself, brushing the pads of his fingers against her soft pale skin. She rolled over.

Then he left.

Kagome awoke to the sound of heavy sighing near her bed. How did she get into bed in the first place anyway? Her heavy eyes fluttered open as she brought up a hand to shield them from the light leaking into her room. The miko touched her cheek, fingers brushing against soft cloth instead of skin. So she had been bandaged.

"AH! So you finally woke up!" Rin piped up from the end of her bed. "Rin was getting sick and tired of waiting for you to wake!"

Kagome sat up, pulling the covers down to take inventory. Yes, she felt…icky, for lack of a better word. She was still wearing the blood stained kimono from the previous night. She had never changed into her night clothes.

Kagome faced the adorable girl at the end of her bed, smiling. "Rin. We have a mission." Rin visibly brightened. "We have to find somewhere for me to bathe, something for me to where, and something for me to eat!" Kagome said, ticking off each thing on her fingers.

Rin's eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought. "Well…" Rin said slowly. "Rin thinks she can have a servant fix Kagome-chan a hot bath, and Rin knows there's always food in the kitchen, but for something to wear—Oh! Leave that to Rin!"

"Okay," Kagome said happily. "Thank you so much Rin!"

Kagome sunk down deep into the hot water. No matter where she was, hot water always had an affect on her. It made her all tingly inside, giddy and sleepy and comfortable at the same time. She wondered absently what Rin was up to. More importantly, what happened to Sesshoumaru after she had fainted Had he carried her to her room and had he bandaged her? Kagome blushed. She was so stupid

Rin smiled, tiptoeing silently to a room she had snuck into dozens of times. It was unpredictable access, however. Sometimes it was locked, sometimes it wasn't. Rin hoped with all her might that today was one of those days it wasn't.

Her small fingers wrapped around the doorknob, twisting it as silently as she could, tingling with anticipation…

"Its not locked!" Rin exclaimed aloud before covering her hands with her mouth. Her large brown eyes darted all around, searching for signs of someone who might give her away. She padded silently to the oak wardrobe in the corner of the room, a giant magnificent piece of furnishing. The doors creaked loudly as she opened them, making the small girl wince.

A smile appeared on Rin's face as she laid her eyes on the magnificent wonders inside. Kimonos of every color and pattern, all woven of the finest silk.

"Now what color are Kagome-chan's eyes?" Rin asked herself quietly. "Brown? No, Rin remembers! Blue!" Rin ran her small hands across all the colors, picking out all the blues she could find.

(Quick A.N.: I'm going with the manga version of Kagome, where her eyes are blue. They're just much prettier than the dull brown ones Kagome has in the manga.)

Laying out all the kimonos on the floor, Rin placed a finger on her chin, deciding what kimono would be best for Kagome. She was torn between two: a dark midnight blue with large pink blossoms, or a brighter blue with green and dark blue fans. She gently picked them both up and closed the wardrobe. She could take them both to Kagome, and the miko could choose. Rin left the room, leaving everything intact, and tiptoed down the hallway, hiding whenever she heard or saw another person.

Kagome sat on the edge of her bed wrapped in a towel, waiting for Rin. Her had wandered to her face again, tapping the ugly bandage. What was she doing? She might as well heal it. Kagome peeled of the bloody bandage. The wound looked as if it had just stopped bleeding, and the miko tossed the bandage away quickly. She placed her hand gently on her cheek and used her healing powers to close the wound and make the scar disappear.

"There!" Kagome said with a smile, face now fully intact, "easy as pie!"

The girl's head turned as the door to her room slowly cracked open. Rin's head peeked inside, looking around cautiously.

"Rin is back! She has brought Kagome-chan two kimonos to choose from." Rin said stepping in.

"Why thank you R—" Kagome paused, observing the two kimonos the small girl presetned. "Rin!? Where did you get these?!"

"Are they not to Kagome-chan's liking?" Rin said, hurt.

"No, they're beautiful!" Kagome assured. "I've just never seen such beautiful clothing!"

Rin smiled. "Which one does lady Kagome-chan want to wear?"

"I like…" Kagome said slowly, thinking. "I like the dark blue one, with the pink flowers."

Sesshoumaru sat on the rough branch of a tall tree, eyes closed, attempting to relax his mind. His youkai hearing picked up two female voices below him, chattering away without a care. 'It must be Rin and that woman.' He thought without opening his eyes. A breeze floated upwards, carrying with it the smell of the two humans. He separated the smells: Rin's scent smelling of flowers and dirt and sunshine, the miko's smelling of power and allure and…his mother.

Now this normally puzzled him, but now she reeked strongly of the scent of his long-dead mother. He opened his eyes to observe her, but what he saw instead was what he was certain was the ghost of his mother. He blinked, clearing his mind. It wasn't his mother…It was that girl. She was wearing his mother's kimono, the blue one she wore in summertime, usually in the evening. He followed the two girls through the treetops, waiting for a moment when Rin wasn't around.

"Rin will run to the edge of the field and pick those pink flowers for Kagome-chan!" Rin exclaimed grabbing Kagome's hand. "They will match Kagome-chan's kimono perfectly! Kagome-chan will wait here for Rin?"

"Certainly, Rin!" Kagome said, watching the young girl run off. She took a deep breath. It was nice to be outside and to not be traveling, it really gave her a chance to enjoy nature. Kagome blinked as the wind harshly blew her hair all over. Sesshoumaru stood in front of her, making her grab her heart in surprise.

"Where, girl," he began, "did you get that kimono?!"

Kagome resisted the urge to wince at his cutting voice. "Rin gave it to me." She ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know where she got it."

Sesshoumaru looked away.

"It was your mother's." Kagome said softly.

Sesshoumaru looked back at the girl, masking surprise.

"I could tell because it smelled like my mama. Mothers have that distinct scent, you know? I mean, I know I don't really have a good sense of smell, compared to you at least, but I could still smell it."

"Sorry I'm such a dork for not healing myself." Kagome added, blushing slightly. She brought her eyes up to his, surprised at the level of intensity that he was staring at her with.

"You are granted access to her kimonos from now on." He said stiffly.

"What was her name?"

"That's irrelevant."

"I wanna know."

"Maruya." He took off, disappearing into the treetops and out of Kagome's line of sight.

"That's a cool name." Kagome said softly to herself.

"Kaaaagooooooome-chan! Rin has brought you flowers!" Rin skipped to the miko, presenting pink flowers to Kagome.

"They're beautiful, Rin, thank you very much!" Kagome took the flowers in her hands and allowed herself to be led away by the small child. She looked into the trees and smiled slightly before running ahead to play with Rin.

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A.N. Well, there you go. Out and ready before Saturday. . I feel accomplished as it normally takes longer. Sorry for the sloppy chapter!


	6. Comfortable

Pre-Story A.N: Sorry this update took so long…Also, I'm sorry for the fact that the last chapter centered around mostly Sesshoumaru and Kagome. Back to the long overdue update: When I moved, our computer was packed up, and we didn't really set it up 'till July 4th. Plus, our computer is like, in the middle of our family room. So much for privacy when it comes to writing stories. Ugh. I have so much to rant about, but I'll save that for later.

Disclaimer: I think once, when I was in the car on our way to our new house, a clever disclaimer popped into my head, but I definitely forgot it. I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters.

Inuyasha rested his chin on the coarse wood of the bone-eater's well. It had been four days since Kagome had gone. He was so tempted to bring her back, to be in her presence again. He always felt sort of tingly inside when she was near. He stood, lifting one tanned, callused foot to the edge of the well.

"Leave her be, Inuyasha," a male voice sounded behind him. The hanyou turned to see the monk, the demon-slayer, and the kitsune eyeing him. "Kagome needs her time alone."

"Shoot, Miroku, what do you know about women?" Inuyasha said, removing his foot from the well as his arms folded.

"Kagome asked for a week in her own time, which she has explained is seven days." Sango said softly from beside the monk. "We can all tell that Kagome has been very tired lately. She is not used to constant travel, not to mention the stress that is caused by these 'tests' of hers."

"Yea, Inuyasha," Shippou piped up, "The last thing she needs is you going to her time and messing things up!"

"Feh." Inuyasha replied, beginning to nonchalantly walk away. "The last think _I _need is for you three idiots to lecture me."

Sango turned to Miroku and Shippou, breathing out a sigh of relief. They all knew what would come about if Inuyasha were to fetch Kagome from her time. There would be a lot of shrill yelling and cries of 'sit!' on Kagome's part, and name-calling on Inuyasha's They also all knew that the hanyou's intentions were good, but he was utterly clueless when it came to certain teenage girls from the future.

Souta stood up and stretched. His limbs were stiff from sitting in one position, half-asleep, for hours on end. The daze was filled with fuzzy dreams that detailed Inuyasha's heroic rescue of him and Kagome's praise on how incredibly brave he was.

A scuffling noise in the corner made Souta gasp. Could it be…rats? He hated the vile rodents, scrounging for scraps of food with their greasy, filthy paws and whiskers. Whirling around in fright, he breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that it was only Kohaku. The puppet boy hadn't moved in hours; Souta had completely forgotten that he was there.

"Lets try to wake you up again, Kohaku," Souta said to no one in particular. "Let's talk about your sister Sango. What did she look like? Was she pretty?" Souta had discovered that talking about this puppet boy's sister was one of the only things that revived him from his zombie like trance. Even then, it wasn't dependable.

"Sango was…" Kohaku breathed, eyes becoming lucid again, "she was beautiful. I always thought she looked the strongest and most beautiful when she was exterminating youkai."

"She was a demon exterminator?" Souta prompted, eager for any conversation.

"Yes. I came from a village of demon slayers."

Souta looked at the boy sadly. He lived in the past…Thinking not about the present…living in his memories.

"How did you get here?" Souta asked softly.

Kohaku narrowed his eyes, as if trying to remember. "We were…" He began, slowly, cautiously. "Slaying a demon." Pause. "Something, entered my mind and…" He stopped suddenly, eyes wide with horror. His hands flew to his head as he fell to his knees.

"NO!" He gasped. "I don't want to remember!" He screamed loudly, causing Souta to take a step back.

"I don't want to remember! I don't want to remember! No!" Kohaku sobbed, choking over his words.

Souta extended a trembling hand toward the crouching figure, jumping uneasily as the door behind him slid open. He whirled around expecting Kagura, but was much more surprised at what he saw. Silvery-Sleek fur hung to the ground, catching the light so that it held and eerie glow. The fur hid the form of the figure underneath it, as a baboon mask hid the thing's face.

Kohaku's nearby, labored breathing continued as he chanted, "I don't want to remember," quietly.

The figure glided across the floor past Souta, extending a human-looking hand from behind the pelt. The hand hovered over Kohaku's head, radiating some sort of dark magic. The boy's whispering ceased as his yeys clouded, pupils receding once again until it seemed they were completely gone.

"Kanna," A deep voice rumpled from behind the baboon mask. Souta took two steps back as a pale girl that looked slightly younger than him floated into the room.

"Yes, Master Naraku?" the girl inquired, her paper-thin voice holding no expression as it echoed off the walls.

"I am relieving Kohaku of guard duty. Obviously he cannot be entrusted with such a task. You shall take his place."

"Yes, Master Naraku." The ghost-like girl bowed slightly, and Souta watched her silver-white hair fall over her shoulders as her head inclined.

The fur clad figure floated out of the room, followed mindlessly by Kohaku.

Souta winced as the door slammed shut without any warning. His gaze moved quickly from the door, however, to the girl. It wasn't until then that he realized that she was holding something.

"Wha—What was your name again?" Souta asked, his voice still trembling from the encounter with the strange creature that dressed in silver fur.

Kanna shifted her gaze to look directly at Souta. The boy shuddered at the dead gaze. He watched as she moved the object she held—what he now saw was a mirror—so it reflected light, shining brightly into his eyes. Souta fell to the ground, unconscious.

Kagome ran her fingers over the rough brick outside Sesshoumaru's room. How the hell had she found herself here again?! Ten minutes before she had felt the idiotic need to wander the castle instead of sleep. It was late, yes, but she did not feel incredibly tired. Her thoughts kept her awake. Not in the mood to deal with Sesshoumaru, she slid down to the floor outside his room, forehead resting on her knees. She ran her hands through her hair. How long had it been? She tried to count the days. Four? Only four days? It was hard to believe. It felt like it had been so much longer…so much longer away from everyone she knew. When would Inuyasha realize she was not in her own time? She wished he were here.

Sesshoumaru tried to concentrate on his work, but his mind lingered elsewhere. He could hear and smell the girl in the hallway. He gave up on the documents he had been poring over and listened to her very closely. Her rhythm, the way she paced her breath and how her heartbeat sounded was odd. It was a near perfect rhythm, the heartbeat synchronizing perfectly with each soft breath she took. Not only that, but the pulsing of her magic resonated in time with both the beating of her heart, and the rising and falling of her chest. He listened to her human blood pumping though her veins, sitting back in his chair and let his eyes lose their shrewdness for a few moments. The demon suddenly realized that he was falling asleep, lulled by the rhythm of her body. Sesshoumaru placed his hand on the desk, standing up. It was about time to get rid of her.

Kagome felt the tears begin to spill again. They always started when she thought of her poor mother and grandfather, probably worried sick at home. She felt the salty droplets slide down her cheeks, and watched them stain the floor for a moment as they landed on the stone. Suddenly Kagome felt a presence in front of her. Startled, she quickly looked up. Kagome gaped at Sesshoumaru for a brief moment before reaching to wipe her face clear of any tears. He grabbed her wrist, not allowing her to clean the tears and dragged her upwards so that she was standing in front of him. Kagome fervently rubbed the tears off her face with her other hand.

"I don't like to cry in front of other people," Kagome said firmly, straightening her kimono.

"I care not," Sesshoumaru replied with equal firmness. "What I do care about, however, is your idiotic insistence on visiting my room at night."

"Well," Kagome began, "I get lonely and sad and scared at night, so I cant sleep, and then I begin to wander the halls. It is purely by coincidence that I have ended up here two nights in a row." As soon as she finished, she knew he wouldn't care. She also realized something else—he was still holding the wrist he had forced her to stand up with. Her eyes flicked from his face to the wrist. He must have noticed as well, because he dropped it casually.

"Go back to your room now, human. And stay in there. I do not care about your stupid human emotions."

"Weeeeell—" Kagome said slowly and deliberately, drawing circles on the floor with her foot. "There's kind of a problem with that. I don't really know how to get back. I can always seem to get here, but the complications arrive when it comes to returning to my room."

He muttered something along the lines of "stupid, insolent, human" as he began to stride down the hallway on her right. She followed quietly, watching his feet.

As they came to what she recognized as her room, she sighed. Sesshoumaru turned to leave, but she called after him. "Sesshoumaru, wait. Will you please stay with me until I fall asleep? Call me whatever names you would like, I just don't like being alone when I sleep." It was true after all, she had always been surrounded by people when sleeping, whether it was her mother in the room next to her, or Inuyasha and the gang all around her.

His eyes narrowed, but he obliged. She sat on her bed awkwardly, not ready to lay down yet with him in the room. She watched his take a seat in the corner.

"Sesshoumaru? Have you received any word from your spies as to the whereabouts of my brother?" She said cautiously.

"The spies have promised that they will come to me tomorrow, with whatever information they might have." Was his concise answer.

Kagome sat for a minute under his golden glare, then began again. "You know, Sesshoumaru…You remind me more of a cat than of a dog."

"I dislike cats."

"Which would be expected," Kagome put her hands up defensively, smiling. "But, you have that kitty glare, and cats rarely ever show any emotion—unless they're purring, of course." Kagome said, thinking fondly of her own cat, Buyo. "Now, Inuyasha really reminds me of a dog, because he usually sits like one and sometimes he scratches his head with his foot." Kagome laughed to herself.

"Inuyasha isn't a full dog demon." Sesshoumaru said icily.

"I know, but I'm just saying—" Kagome stopped opening her eyes and becoming serious.

"Do you know what Inuyasha called me the first time he saw me?" Kagome began.

"I do not, and I care not."

"I figured. " The miko said sarcastically. "He called me Kikyo."

"I have heard this name once before." Sesshoumaru said.

"Well, Kikyo was Inuyasha's lover, until there was a misunderstanding, and she bound him to a tree forever. Well, except it was only fifty years cause of me."

"Inuyasha was a fool to trust such a wench."

"Hey!" Kagome said defensively, "I happen to be the reincarnation of that 'wench'! Anyway, it wasn't her fault—It was Naraku that tricked the two into hating each other…But I can tell Inuyasha still loves her, so he doesn't love me." Realizing she was getting a little too personal, Kagome faked a laugh and changed to a different topic.

"I believe the first thing you said to me was something along the lines of "die, stupid wench," then you tried to kill me with your poison claws. Which, I'd have to say was a very elegant thing except for the killing part. But I was still alive, so nah-nah!"

"You were only alive because of the tetsuaiga." Sesshoumaru cut.

"It doesn't matter. As long as I'm here to annoy you, I win." She stuck out her tongue as he glared.

She changed the topic again. "I want to know what we're dealing with here. How do you think Naraku stole my brother and manipulated my mind?"

He hesitated, shooting her a look that she really couldn't identify. "I have heard tales of a powerful old witch doctor who could execute such a task. However, I believe that an object is needed for him to manipulate bodies and minds."

"But how could he get anything of my brother's? I mean, they don't live in the same time!"

"If an object you possess has a strong connection to someone else, a powerful witch doctor can manipulate both you and the other person, no matter what barriers stand between them. However, I know very little on the subject—Only what I have read."

Kagome was silent, absorbing the information. "I'm glad that you are intelligent, Sesshoumaru. If it were...If it were Inuyasha helping me, he would know nothing on the subject, and probably rush into battle completely ignorant of the enemy, getting severely hurt in the process. I've seen it many times before." He said nothing, so she once again changed the subject. "What was your father like? Did you know him?"

"None of your business."

Kagome sighed, finally feeling comfortable enough to lay down. "I suppose you wont tell me anything about your life—figures. Humans are naturally curious by nature, I suppose, and you seem to be rather secretive by nature. Inuyasha is like that too."

"I order you to not compare me to my brother, woman."

Kagome rose her eyes to meet him. He looked slightly miffed, an odd look for him. She laughed to herself before the giggles reached a much louder volume.

"Whatever you say, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama." She stood up and bowed, still laughing to herself. She ignored his warning glares and lay back down. She became suddenly aware of how physically exhausted she was, something she always forgot when those evil thoughts came near. Her body was always overridden by her mind. But now, having his presence in the room seemed to chase the thoughts away. She was…Comfortable.

Sesshoumaru stood, checking once more to be sure she was asleep before he left the room.

:: End.Chapter ::


	7. Zuru, Gashi, and Koi

Disclaimer: Dearest readers...I do not own it.

* * *

Sesshoumaru frowned in distaste as a familiar scent reached him. He caught a flicker of movement in the corner of this eye, prompting him to stand. A snake, barely visible in the shadows hissed, then silently shifted into the form of a human being. Two more snake creatures joined the youkai, however, they remained in snake form. The head youkai bowed.

"Lord Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru regarded the dark haired, amethyst-eyed demon. Hebi youkai—snake demons, used to rule the northern lands, but having displeased Inutasio, Sesshoumaru's father, were removed of their duties as rulers. The entire royal snake family and their vassals had then been condemned to work for the royal dog family. These three snake youkai were brothers, mastering in the art of concealing themselves and were, respectively, very clever and sly. They were perfect spies, and despite the war that had taken place between the dogs and the snakes, were loyal.

"Zuru. I assume you have brought me information?" Sesshoumaru replied to the oldest brother.

Zuru smirked. "You are fortunate, Sesshoumaru-sama. We have discovered Naraku not far from here, only a day of travel away."

At this time the inu-youkai frowned. Naraku must know that the girl was in his care, so why remain in his western territory? It could only be assumed that Naraku was formulating another plan based on the situation.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" The snake fingered his long dark hair, slowly running his hands through it. If there was one thing Sesshoumaru hated about hebi-youkai, it was their vanity. They had always prided themselves on their good looks, and in Sesshoumaru's opinion, spent too much time brooding over it. One of the other snakes shape shifted so that he took his human form, and stood next to his brother. He tossed his wavy green hair as his lips twisted into a grin. "Lord Sesshoumaru, if I may remark, the smell of a human lingers on you."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama. I have noticed as well." The third snake had materialized into a human. He was the boldest of the three, as well as the youngest, and like his brothers, prided himself on his good looks. "Have you finally developed a taste..." he paused for effect, tossing his dark blue hair, grey eyes glinting silver. "...for humans?"

"Zuru, Gashi, Koi." Sesshoumaru's voice was icy. "Unless you have any more information for me, you are dismissed."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru, we didn't mean to pry," the oldest said, slinking back into the shadows as his snake form. The other two bowed and followed suit.

Sesshoumaru came close to a sigh, thinking about how much he disliked snakes.

* * *

Souta struggled to get up, his eyes and body heavy. His hand drifted to his head, searching for any bumps from falling unconscious. Fingers lingering on a bruise on his forehead, he surveyed the room.

"KYAAA!" He yelled as he discovered the pale girl directly behind him, black eyes boring a hole in his head. He scrambled backwards until his back was met with a wall.

There was an unfriendly silence for a moment as they stared at each other, Souta's heart pounding. He suddenly felt he needed to break the silence. "Are—Are you a prisoner as well? My last guard said he was, but I don't think he was working perfectly in the brain, you know."

The girl's body turned and Souta, panicking, shielded his eyes. "Please don't knock me out again. I promise I wont try to escape or anything!" He said, eyes squeezed shut behind his arms.

"Yes. I am a prisoner of Naraku, like Kagura, Kohaku, and yourself." Her voice was barely audible, and Souta had to struggle to hear her.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Souta asked. Receiving no response, he cracked one eye open, then the other. Her eyes continued to watch him.

"Well?"

Her head inclined slightly, eyes never straying. It was all she needed to do to question his words.

"Are you going to knock me out with that thing?"

"Not unless you wish me to." She said softly.

"No no! I mean—Its okay." Souta said shaking his hands.

* * *

Kagome removed her white sleep yukata, absently smoothing out the wrinkles as she folded it. She was mulling through her brain, thinking about what Sesshoumaru said to her about an object Naraku possessed connecting her and her brother. Then it struck her. It was completely obvious. Her brush. Hadn't she left it in the feudal era? But how could Naraku possible know who Souta was? She sifted though the various kimonos that had been transferred from the former room of Sesshoumaru's mother to her own wardrobe, slowly pulling out a beige colored one decorated with olive green ivy and maroon accents. It would be perfect for traveling, once they found out where Naraku was. It was of a tougher fabric than the daytime kimonos. Kagome set it aside for the moment, settling for white and blue kimono with pink accents. Kagome was surprised when she looked in the mirror. When had she gotten so...mature? Perhaps the lighting and the coloring of the kimono were playing tricks on her, but she actually looked pretty?

Or it could be because her looks were always second to Kikyou's when she was with Inuyasha.

Kagome brushed her hair ferociously with her fingers, discarding the thought as quickly as it had come to her. Sliding open the door, she had every intention to go find Sesshoumaru and tell him about the brush, but she stalled at the doorway. There she spotted a rather handsome demon coming her way. She reminded herself not to gape as she stared at the form, flowing blue hair pulled into a low ponytail, and eyes that, when caught in the right light, glowed silver. A demon, her instincts told her.

"Greetings." He said. "May I ask of your name?"

"My name...Is Kagome."

"Ah. Kagome. My name is Koi. Pleased to meet you."

Kagome blushed when he smiled at her. "Is there something I can help you with?" She said, smiling back. He took a step towards her, resting his hand on the door frame. Her smile faltered as he advanced again, causing her to take a step back. He slid the door shut behind him, and she suddenly began to question his intentions. A moment later and she realized that her back was against solid wall.

"You, girl, are pretty, but you are a human. Weak. So why has Sesshoumaru developed a taste for you?" He traced her jaw slowly. Kagome narrowed her eyes. She'd had just about enough of this.

"Just exactly what do you mean by 'taste'?" she spat.

"You aren't trying to deny that you aren't sexually involved with him?" He began to close in or her. Kagome's eyebrow twitched as her right hand balled into a fist. She silently urged her power into it and punched him. She was no boxer, but the extra boost of miko energy sent him flying across the room. She stalked out of the room, muttering "pervert" as she passed. Fuming, she walked down the hallway, not really sure where she was going. Where did he get that idea from? And who the hell was he?

"Kagome-chan looks very pretty." A sweet voice sounded from a nearby doorway.

"Hello Rin!" Kagome said, dropping her anger for a moment.

The small girl smiled, then seemed to remember something. "Oh! Rin has a message for Kagome-chan!" She exclaimed, becoming serious. "Sesshoumaru-sama requests a meeting with Kagome-chan. Sesshoumaru-sama sent Rin to get Kagome-chan!"

"Thanks a lot, Rin. I was just looking for him anyway. Will you take me to Sesshoumaru?"

"Hai, Kagome-chan!"

Kagome was then led by the small girl through several hallways that she was unfamiliar with, until they reached a set of engraved double doors.

"Rin is not allowed in this room," the child said solemnly, "for it is where Sesshoumaru-sama meets with other youkai. Sesshoumaru-sama says some youkai are dangerous."

Kagome gulped. Other youkai? She suddenly wished she had brushed her hair with more care or taken a few extra minutes to look presentable. Her only condolence was the fine white and blue kimono that brought out the blue in her eyes and the pink in her lips. She ran her hand over it quickly before opening one of the doors.

Sesshoumaru greeted her with a glare while two other demons eyed her curiously. Kagome's eyes drifted from one: tall silky black hair and purple eyes, to the other: slightly shorter green wavy hair and blood red eyes. Obviously demons, she noted. Kagome meekly walked across the room to stand next to Sesshoumaru, who looked down at her for a moment before saying sharply to the two demons. "Where is the other?"

"He went off on his own for some time. He has not returned yet. Forgive him, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama."

"He is late?" Sesshoumaru said, his voice slightly incredulous.

"It is not likely that he would be late, with all due respect. He is normally punctual. We suspect he has gotten himself into a little trouble," the oldest said.

"Our brother, well, Koi is very bold, and—"

"Koi?" Kagome interrupted.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at her. "You speak as though you're familiar."

Kagome looked up at him, hands fisted. "Yes I do. He was hitting on me and getting a little too familiar, so I punched him." She crossed her arms.

"You? A mere human?" One of the brothers snapped.

"Yes. And he deserved it too! He said—"Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru, suddenly turning a shade redder. "He said that...you—Well, It's not important right now. He'll be fine though, I could hear him walk away after I left."

"Lord Sesshoumaru," one of the brothers said purposefully to the inu-youkai, "do you wish for me to put this human woman in her place?"

"That is not necessary, Gashi." Sesshoumaru waved him off with his hand. "Koi will be fine, as she said. I brought her here to share the information about Naraku."

"You mean they're the spies?" Kagome asked, pointing.

Sesshoumaru glared at her, and she was silent, resting her eyes once again on the forms of the two youkai, who were in turn glaring at her as well.

Sesshoumaru turned his gaze to the brothers as well. "We will continue without Koi."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru. We noted, upon our arrival at Naraku's temporary fortress that he has a prisoner with him, along with a wind demoness, an undead human boy, and a mirror demon. Observing the surroundings, we have noted no other form of life within a radius of one mile around his fortress, which includes woodland creatures and other demons. There is, however, a human that is camped out in a cave near Naraku's fortress. We know not if this is coincidence, but we did detect a dark power in him."

"It is no coincidence," Sesshoumaru cut in sharply. "Thank you, Zuru and Gashi, I will not be needing you any longer, unless you have more information. Please find your brother and return to your own home." For some reason, it sounded a lot more like an order than a simple request to Kagome. The two youkai bowed and shifted into their demon-snake form, slipping into the shadows. Sesshoumaru continued to look in their direction for a moment before turning to face Kagome.

"You 'punched' a full demon?" He asked her.

Kagome couldn't make out the look on his face. Was it disgust or...amusement?

"I added some magic." She said quietly. "But he was saying that you—"she pointed for effect, "and I were..." She moved her finger between the two of them, hoping he would understand. He just looked at her quizzically. Kagome sighed. "He thought I was some type of prostitute."

Sesshoumaru watched her for a moment before turning away. A small smile played on his face, something she couldn't see. "We shall leave then." He said. "Today. For Naraku's castle."

"Uh...Wait!" Kagome said. "I figured out the medium that Naraku used to get Souta and I into the feudal era."

"Such a thing is not important now," he glanced at her. "Hurry and prepare."

Kagome glared at the back of his head, thinking as many swearwords as she could in his direction. She watched him leave and, feeling stupid, followed him out.

* * *

A.N. Not a big fan of O Characters, so please forgive the hebi-youkai! 


	8. Kagome

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim Inuyasha and all the characters of Inuyasha.

* * *

Kagome shielded her eyes from the red light emitted by the setting sun. The two stood on a ridge overlooking the valley where Naraku was.

"Is it just me, Sesshoumaru, or did today seem to pass by quicker than you could blink?" The miko asked quietly of the youkai standing next to her.

"It is just you, foolish girl."

Kagome smiled. She had expected such an answer from him. She had begun to pick up on the nuances in his rudeness. She could hear in his voice that he felt the same way.

"Are we continuing tonight?"

"Indeed."

"I see, so no sleeping for us?"

He merely turned and glared at her, at which she laughed slightly.

Sesshoumaru turned. "What an idiotic woman," he thought to himself as he stalked away.

Kagome followed in silence for several minutes, before she piped up again.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think there are traps set for us?"

"Obvious question, wench."

"Okay, so there are? Then shouldn't we be more careful?"

He merely continued walking, not even acknowledging the last comment, causing Kagome to furrow her eyebrows and clench her fists.

She could not see, but he was smiling.

* * *

Souta approached the girl slowly. Her white hair was so beautiful. It almost glowed.

"Please, what is your name?" He asked softly.

She glared at him suspiciously.

"Please? Mine is Souta."

"Kanna," she intoned softly.

"Oh wow, that IS a very neat name!" Souta exclaimed. "Did you know you have very pretty hair?"

Her eyes widened slightly, before she stepped back and turned her mirror slightly again.

"NO!" Souta yelled, throwing his hands in front of his face. "Please don't – I've been unconscious too many times since I've been here. I just need somebody to talk to."

She lowered her mirror slightly, causing Souta to give her a ridiculously goofy smile. "I've never really liked girls," He began, "but most of the girls I know are really annoying. They are giggly, and loud, and they chase you around trying to kiss you." He blushed slightly. "You're not like that. It's kind of nice."

He took a step forward. "I mean, I don't really know anything about you. I guess I have a bad habit of making a mountain out of a mole hill." Souta smiled.

Kanna could not stop her eyes from widening, and Souta almost thought he saw a dash of color brush across her cheeks.

* * *

Kagome sighed. It was getting dark, and she was getting tired. She kept pinching herself in an effort to feel more awake, because she knew she must be energized for anything that Naraku threw her way.

Annoyingly, the little spurts of pain did nothing to keep her away. No matter how hard she pinched herself, the image of Sesshoumaru walking in front of her would continue to blur in and out of focus.

The youkai abrubtly stopped in front of her, at a fork in the path. He turned to face the miko, golden eyes slightly glowing in the dark.

"Kagome, which way should we go?" He asked.

She looked at him curiously, pointing to the right. When he turned his back, she pulled out an arrow and strung it on her bow. She breathed in slightly; aiming it directly at the youkai's back and shooting. She narrowed her eyes as his form collapsed and dissolved into dust.

"I cannot be so easily fooled, Naraku," She spat. "Sesshoumaru, for one would not call me by my name, and second, he would not ask for my opinion on which way to go. It seems you have overestimated our relationship."

Kagome looked around. The direction she would have gone if she had followed the fake-Sesshoumaru would have led her directly of a cliff. It was a fatal trap.

"DAMNIT!" She yelled. "Now I'm lost."

* * *

Sesshoumaru's eyes shifted slightly to the right, listening to the girl behind him. There had been a sudden change in her rhythm. Perhaps it was because she was getting scared? He felt suddenly tired, which alarmed him. Youkai do not get tired. He sniffed the air quickly, in an attempt to smell Naraku. Nothing unusual, except for the girl…

He turned quickly, striking his claws out suddenly to slash Kagome in half. He growled as she dissipated into the wind. "Naraku, it shall not be so easy…"

Kojiki's hands slammed upon the ground.

"Power…" He whispered.

A shadowy figure in a baboon pelt appeared at the opening of the cave.

"I take it the first trap failed?" He drawled.

Kojiki's wrinkled face looked up at Naraku with anger. "I need…more power."

A small smiled surfaced on Naraku's face as a hand surfaced from under the baboon pelt. It held a small, glowing shard.

* * *

Souta traced patterns on the ground with his finger.

"Hey Kanna," he said. "Do you know Inuyasha and Kagome?"

The girl nodded slightly.

"Kagome is my sister." Souta smiled, eyes still focused on the patterns he was tracing on the ground. "She's really strong and brave, unlike me. I wish I was like her, sometimes.

And Inuyasha is so cool! Sankontessou!" Souta yelled, waving his hand in the air as if it were he performing the attack. He smiled. "It doesn't work as well when I try to do it."

* * *

Kagome, now fully awake, hurried down a nondescript path, hoping for her life that it would somehow lead her to Sesshoumaru. She felt so…_unprotected_ by herself. Despite this feeling, traveling with the taiyoukai had taught her a valuable lesson. She had more self confidence now when it came to defending herself. Kagome sighed, scanning the forest with her eyes. She had been so reliant on Inuyasha before…

A glimpse of a body between the trees made Kagome double take. A silhouette…who was it?

"Souta!" she nearly exclaimed when she recognized the figure. That was him, wasn't it?

She took two tentative steps toward him, and then began running. He seemed to get farther and farther away as she ran toward him. She saw red.

Kagome went nearly crazy, running through the brush to reach her kid brother.

'Why does he only seem farther away with every step I take?' Kagome thought to herself.

'A TRAP!' her mind screamed suddenly with realization. 'But I can't stop running, the spell is so strong!' Kagome struggled with herself. The spell had a firm grip on her physical body, and was trying to invade her mind.

'A tainted shard?' Kagome thought frantically. 'Could this spell be supported by the power of the shikon no tama?' Kagome's breath was labored and hard as she continued running.

"STOP!" She managed to choke out between breaths. Suddenly Kagome saw a cliff up ahead, that she was running straight toward. "Stop…"

She counted down her steps in horror as she ran off the cliff—

* * *

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. Distress? The girl? Where was she? Sniffing the air, he picked up on the acute smell of distress and anguish. Following his nose, he disappeared in a blur.

* * *

"Kanna?"

The girl looked at the boy without expression.

"I don't feel very good."

She continued to stare, and Souta leaned against the wall. "I think something might be wrong. Something is certainly off…"

* * *

One-half of Sesshoumaru told him that he was headed in the wrong direction. The other half was relying on his senses. His sense of smell and hearing told him he was getting closer and closer to the girl. He could smell her fear, distress and aguish. Yet, his instinct told him that he was on the wrong track. He stopped, confused, and looked around. He had been traveling in this direction for quite some time. He should be near the girl by now. Where was she…?

* * *

Kagome awoke very painfully. "What…?" She mumbled, struggling to open her eyes. The light from above was so blinding that she couldn't open her eyes.

'What did I do to deserve this?' She cupped her hands over her eyes, slowly opening them. "Where…?" Her back and her head ached. She lifted herself up, eyes beginning to adjust to the light.

"Did I really fall? Was that a dream?" Kagome looked up, still shielding her eyes from the sun. The top of the cliff was fifty or so feet up. "How did I survive that? Shouldn't I be more hurt?" Kagome checked for any broken bones or tender spots. There were none.

"What the?" Kagome sat, puzzled, staring blankly into space. "Did I imagine the fall? Have I been here the whole time?" Kagome became frustrated. "What in the hell?" She shouted.

Sesshoumaru heard the foolish woman's voice as she shouted out some obscenity. He appeared next to her. "What, "he began in an annoyed voice "are you doing sitting on the ground?"

Kagome pointed above her to the cliff.

Sesshoumaru did not even look. "And why did you wander away?" He scolded.

Kagome looked at him, her eyes full of emotion. Hurt, anger, confusion, and fright. She was hurt and angry at him for scolding, confused and frightened by what had just happened.

Sesshoumaru had a mostly impassive and slightly annoyed look.

The next thing that she knew, tears began spilling of her eyes. Kagome cursed herself for crying in front of Sesshoumaru, but she simply could not take it any longer. Her whole situation was overwhelming, and it was evident as her body began to shake, as if under pressure. Her body buckled and she fainted.

She came to in a hut. Kagome saw in her peripheral Sesshoumaru, who was looking in the other direction.

"Sesshoumaru?" She mumbled.

"Well?"

"What the hell do you want?"

"Well, what happened?" He still was staring off into the other direction.

Kagome sighed in annoyance. "How about, how are you?"

He turned to glare at her for a moment.

If she was able to growl, she would have at that moment.

"I fell."

"Fell?"

"Yes, Goddamnit. I fell off the cliff."

"Woman, do not lie."

"Look, I don't know why I'm even still alive. But I am, and I'm not really even physically hurt."

Kagome began to stand up. "Where are we?"

Sesshoumaru turned sharply. "Lie down."

Kagome gave him a death stare. "I'm fine," She said curtly, continuing to hoist herself up. Her body felt really, really heavy.

Sesshoumaru took a step to her. "Lie down."

Kagome cocked her head to the side a little. "I'm fine." She angrily replied.

Sesshoumaru took her wrists, and she began to struggle. Falling back onto the bed, Kagome had a winded feeling. Sesshoumaru was on top of her.

"I…I'm fine. I'm not injured." She said, slightly nervously.

"Physically, yes. But your energy level is low. Very, very low. I've never felt it so low. You exhausted your energy source." He was still on her.

Kagome's stomach felt odd. "Would you…get off?" She asked quietly.

He took a moment to glare, then stepped off her. "Now tell me what happened."

Kagome sighed and began to tell the story. When she was finished, Sesshoumaru looked as if he was pondering something.

"It most likely took a lot of energy to keep that spell from invading your mind. However…"

Kagome sat up. "However?" She asked.

"I think you kept yourself from falling with you energy. Instead of falling, you floated."

Kagome thought for a second. She remembered seeing Kikyou float to the ground once. She remembered that day very well. "I did that?"

He nodded. She began to get up again. He pushed her to the bed again. She sighed, as he was on top of her again.

"Sesshoumaru, where are we?" She asked of him.

"We are in a hut that I found. You slept for a few hours. Now you're awake, as you have probably noticed. Your energy level is still low, and it is unwise for you to stand."

"I'll be fine."

"Shut up, woman."

He kissed her. A mere light brushing of lips against each other.

Kagome breathed heavily. "What…was that for?" Her eyes were wide.

He merely glared.

"Why did you do that?" She began to get tears in her eyes. "Why did you do that? Why would you play with my emotions like that? You know what I'm going through. My brother…Inuyahsa…My mother…these powers…And you…you…?" Kagome never finished her question, as he kissed her again.

And so she began to cry. She began to cry very hard.

Kagome realized at that moment that she had feelings for Sesshoumaru. Was she so fickle that she fell in love with every goddamned dog demon she met? She opened her eyes, dripping tears and stared in his eyes. "Why—"

"Kagome." He said quietly.

* * *

(I finally updated, friends, flamers, and readers! Sort of a cliff-hanger, no?) 


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